Fruit juice has been in the news a lot recently. It is being reported that fruit juice is just as bad as soda because it contains as much sugar as soda, and therefore it may increase your risk for diabetes. But is this really true? I often drink a lot of juice, mostly as a sports drink to recover from long runs(and sometimes before long runs), but it doesn’t seem to cause any problems for me. Since I run at least 30 miles a week, and often do resistance work, I need those calories.
Maybe if I was overweight, or diabetes or heart disease ran in my family I might cut back on juice or eliminate it altogether. And while its sugar content is similar to soda’s, 100% juice tends to also contain vitamins, phyto-nutrients, and some minerals, unlike soda. Still, I believe if you have weight problems, you are better off eliminating juice.
Here is an in depth look at this controversial issue: Fruit may lower diabetes risk while juice may raise it
I think the biggest flaw in the recent studies on juice is they didn’t distinguish freshly made juice from store bought juice, or 100% juice from “juice” that is mostly sugar with only a tincture of real juice in it. The best way to get the benefits of fruit is to simply eat it whole, you don’t have to drink juice. In particular, it appears that blueberries may help prevent diabetes(the above link gives the specifics).
AcroTrekker 