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To Juice or Not to Juice?
Is freshly squeezed juice a superfood or a shortcut to diabetes and obesity?
Despite the pulping that juice has taken in today’s war on sugar, juice bars continue to thrive, oozing healthy vibes with their colourful displays and promises of micronutrients galore.
How can the same food be viewed both as a superfood and a shortcut to diabetes and obesity?
These polar perspectives speak both to fact that old habits die hard, and the murky nature of the scientific evidence around juice and health. Some find links between juice consumption and health issues like diabetes and obesity, while others do not. Furthermore, juice defenders report that it can help close micronutrient gaps in low fruit and veggie consumers. [See Appendix for studies]
The lack of clarity around the health impacts of juice reflects the inherent challenges of nutritional research. First, most studies are poorly controlled, and can be subject to confounders like healthy user bias and socio-economic factors. Second, context matters… a lot. Portion size matters. What you drink instead of juice matters. The rest of your diet matters. Your current health status and risks matter. This doesn’t mean we need to throw up our hands and give up. Rather, we need to examine on the weight of the evidence, including…
