100 percent juices found as beneficial to health as fruits, vegetables

Xinhua News Agency

01-29-07

WASHINGTON, Jan 28, 2007 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- One hundred percent fruit and vegetable juices do help reduce risk factors related to certain diseases, according to a European study published in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition.

The study was designed to question traditional thinking that 100 percent juices play a less significant role in reducing risk for both cancer and cardiovascular disease than whole fruits and vegetables.

The British research team analyzed a variety of studies that looked at risk reduction attributed to the effects of both fiber and antioxidants. As a result, they determined that the positive impact fruits and vegetables offer come not from just the fiber but also from antioxidants which are present in both juice and the whole fruit and vegetables. So they concluded that juices are comparable in their ability to reduce risk compared to their whole fruit/vegetable counterparts.

"Although this independent review of the literature is not designed to focus on any particular 100 percent juice, it does go a long way in demonstrating that fruit and vegetable juices do play an important role in reducing the risk of various diseases, especially cancer and cardiovascular heart disease," says Sue Taylor with the U.S. Juice Products Association, a non-profit organization not associated with this research.

She adds that appropriate amounts of juices should be included in the diet of both children and adults, following guidelines established by leading health authorities.

Taylor also points to a large epidemiological study, published in the September 2006 issue of the U.S. Journal of Medicine, which found that consumption of a variety of 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices was associated with a reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease.


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