CDN: Fruit Juice Does Not Lower Heart Disease Risk Like Whole Fruits

More frequent consumption of whole fruits is associated with a lower risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and heart attack, while fruit juice does not appear to have a similar effect. This was the conclusion reached by researchers from the University of North Dakota after analyzing data from 371,000 people. The findings were published in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition (CDN).

Participants were asked to report how often they consumed whole fruits and 100% fruit juice. According to the researchers’ estimates, participants ate whole fruits an average of 1.06 times per day, while they consumed fruit juice approximately once every three days.

After adjusting for age, income, education and smoking, higher whole-fruit consumption was associated with a lower risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease and heart attack. No such pattern was found for fruit juice. Statistically significant associations were identified only in some cases and did not form a consistent pattern.

The researchers suggest that the benefits of whole fruits may be related to their content of dietary fiber and polyphenols. During juice production, much of the fiber is removed, which may potentially affect the rate at which blood sugar and insulin levels rise after consuming the beverage.

However, the study does not prove that eating fruit directly prevents cardiovascular disease. The authors note that longer-term studies are needed to confirm the observed association.

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