The nutrition knowledge They have evolved a lot over time. We have gone from thinking that juices were an easier way for children to eat fruit to knowing that, with this, we are giving them the same doses of sugar as with some soft drinks. But this is not only applicable to industrialists. He freshly squeezed fruit juice has exactly the same problems. We have known this for a long time, but a new study not only confirms it, but also links its consumption with childhood obesity.
The study in question published by JAMA Pediatricsconsists in a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available scientific literature. That is, its authors, from several Canadian research centers, have taken a series of studies on the subject published over the years and analyzed them together. This has allowed us to obtain much more homogeneous results, which point to the harms of fruit juice consumption.
Specifically, they have analyzed 42 studies, 17 focused on children and 25 on adults. In total, therefore, they have gathered the data of 45,851 children and 268,095 adults, so there is more than enough information to obtain results with a lot of weight. The most striking results were in children, in which it was seen that just one fruit juice a day is already associated with increase in body mass.
Why isn’t drinking fruit juice the same as whole fruit?
When we drink freshly squeezed fruit juice, we do not add sugar, preservatives, coloring, or any of those additives so demonized in the food industry. There is fruit and nothing else. The problem is that, by squeezing it, we are making its sugars too much. more accessible. And that, no matter how natural it is, is still a bomb for the body.
The most abundant sugars in fruit are glucose and fructose. In a complete piece of fruit, such as an orange, they are surrounded by a fiber matrix, which has several functions, among which is the slow release of these sugars. That is to say, it acts as a kind of prison between whose bars they slip little by little.
This makes it easier for the insulin, which is the hormone that helps cells incorporate glucose, release it and work at a good pace.
However, when we squeeze that orange or any other fruit, we obtain only the juice, rich in sugars, and we remove the fiber. As a consequence, large amounts of insulin must be released, which can’t cope to distribute all that glucose. This is what is known as an insulin spike. If it happens from time to time it is not dangerous. However, if given regularly, for example by consuming a glass of fruit juice a day, there comes a time when the pancreas, which is responsible for releasing insulin, is no longer able to synthesize enough. It generates something known as insulin resistance and you can end up developing diabetes.
Furthermore, logically, that excess glucose that cannot be distributed in the cells ends up turning into fatpromoting weight gain.
A question of satiety
Another function of fiber is satiety. It is a substance very satiating, so that with just one orange or apple we already feel full. However, if we prepare fruit juice, more pieces can be included in a single serving, also increasing the amount of sugar which, to make matters worse, does not have that necessary matrix.
What does this new study say?
The review carried out by these Canadian scientists, the most extensive that has been done so far, reveals several interesting data. The first is that, on average, the body mass index of children who drink fruit juice daily increases by 0.03.
In the case of adults, it is not so easy to give a figure, since it depends on whether the adjustment of the energy intake. However, based on some of the studies analyzed, some people who regularly consume fruit juice could gain up to 5 kilos a year.
Anyway, as we have already seen, it is not just about gaining weight. These are the health problems that insulin spikes can cause. Obesity and diabetes are the first warning signs; But, in the long run, cardiovascular diseases can also occur. Therefore, we must keep in mind that fruit juice cannot be compared to whole fruit. It is not good for children and not good for adults either.