Drinking Fruit Juices can Give You a Heart Attack: Study

Drinking fruit juices everyday can be bad for your heart, warns a study.

A refreshing dose of freshly squeezed orange juice and other fruits is an essential part of morning breakfast. But, a new study says drinking fruit juice increases blood pressure leading to heart diseases and cognitive impairment. Australian experts from the Swinburne Institute of Technology observed 160 participants for almost a year who consumed fruit juice to assess its effect on blood pressure. They found that high levels of sugar content in juice was  the reason behind increasing central blood pressure causing  increased risk of angina and restricted blood flow to the brain.

"Habitual fruit juice consumption was measured using a 12 month dietary recall questionnaire. On the same day, brachial BP was measured and central (aortic) BP was estimated through radial artery applanation. Frequency of fruit juice consumption was classified as rare, occasional or daily," write the authors in the study.

Earlier researches found a direct association between conditions like diabetes and obesity and regular consumption of fruit juices. Many trials also hold artificial flavoring and additives in fruit juices are as bad as drinking caffeinated sodas and high calorie soft-drinks.

"Although juices may have essential vitamins, they commonly contain high amounts of sugar with negligible fiber,"said Matthew Pase, study author and researcher from the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, reports the First Post.

"Thus, frequent fruit juice consumption may be contributing to excessive sugar intake, typical of the Western population, exacerbating the prevalence of hyper-tension (high blood pressure) and cardio-vascular diseases," he adds.

More information is available online in the journal Appetite.