The Health Benefits Of Fruit Juice
If you’ve been worried that fruit juice would make your kids fat, you can stop now.
A recent study found no link between childhood obesity and 100% fruit juice with no sugar added.
So what are the potential health benefits of drinking some of these 100% natural fruit juices?
Blueberry Juice
I love blueberries, but I’ve never had blueberry juice.
Supposedly, drinking the juice may prevent urinary tract infections.
That doesn’t surprise me.
I’ve read that blueberries may kill infectious viruses and fight other infections. In fact, the fruit is widely believed to be an effective treatment for diarrhea.
Blueberries (the fruit, not necessarily the juice) may also protect against heart disease and stroke by blocking damage to your blood vessels.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is believed to be effective at preventing urinary tract infections, although it doesn’t work for everyone.
The juice is not supposed to cure existing infections, however. So you should always see your doctor if you suspect that you have a urinary tract infection.
Orange Juice
One study found that a drinking a glass of orange juice every day may reduce the occurrence of kidney stones.
Eating oranges may also lower your blood cholesterol.
Pomegranate Juice
Research has shown that pomegranate juice can lower your LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad cholesterol that can clog your arteries).
The juice may also increase blood flow to your heart if you have ischemic coronary heart disease.
Pomegranate juice may also stabilize a man’s level of prostate specific antigen, or PSA. This means it may slow the growth of prostate cancer.
But even if these fruit juices don’t have medicinal benefits, they taste good. And they’ve got to be better than drinking cola or other beverages with empty calories.
Important Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes only. It’s not medical advice and it’s not a substitute for any advice or treatment from your physician. Always see your physician for the diagnosis and treatment of any disease or medical condition.
Technorati Tags: fruit juice, blueberry juice, blueberry, cranberry juice, cranberry, orange juice, orange, pomegranate juice, pomegranate, prostate cancer, heart disease, cholesterol, kidney stone, urinary tract infection
September 7th, 2007 at 11:52 am
You forgot my favorite, grape juice. I drink a lot of fruit juices.
September 7th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I’ve read a lot about pomegranate juice. It’s supposed to be good for fighting clogging of arteries. My father-in-law drinks it for that reason.
September 7th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Personally, I like the pomegranate fruit better. It’s messy, it’s a lot of work to eat, but it’s so-o-o-o good.
September 7th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
My doctor told me to drink a glass of cranberry juice everyday to help prevent urinary tract infections. It really does seem to work for some people.
September 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
I didn’t even know there was blueberry juice. My favorite is apricot nectar. It’s sweet, but it’s tastes really good. I have it every morning with breakfast.
September 7th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
There are too many calories in fruit juice if you drink it all the time. I like my favorite drink, tea, better. 0 calories and lots of health benefits including I don’t gain weight.
September 8th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
My kids drink loads of grape juice, too. Any health benefits there?
September 8th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I’d drink more fruit juice, but it gives me heartburn, especially orange juice.
September 9th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
Hi Denise,
Grape juice may help to fight cavities and possibly viruses, although I don’t believe the virus-fighting capability has been proven in humans yet. I may be wrong about that, though.
October 3rd, 2007 at 1:20 am
[…] I published my article, “The Health Benefits of Fruit Juice,” I got some questions about a favorite juice that wasn’t […]