The Surprising Heart Health Benefits Of Orange Juice

I’d always grown up hearing that orange juice is as bad for us as a glass of fizzy drink.

While it is high in sugars, some research suggests that it might have some less-well-known heart health benefits.

People who eat a lot of citrus fruits might also be at lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

One paper, which looked at the “significant” decrease in blood pressure linked to drinking orange juice, said: “flavonoid, pectin, and essential oils content… might have been responsible for this finding”.

In that study, results were better for commercial, concentrated versions of orange juice, possibly because those had higher levels of these components.

Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant that helps to rid our bodies of “free radicals”. They have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, and are linked to lower levels of coronary heart disease.

Orange juice contains a specific flavonoid called hesperidin, which scientists think could be causally related to its blood pressure benefits. Another of its flavonoids, naringin, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The drink also contains vitamin C, which helps to keep our bones and blood vessels healthy.

And pectin, a unique fibre found only in fruit, might prevent “bad” cholesterol from being absorbed in our digestive tracts.

With all that said, we still don’t know for sure why the beverage might help so much with our hearts.

A 2022 meta-analysis found that drinking 500ml of orange juice a day was linked to better cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and better insulin function.

Another study, which saw 12 participants’ blood pressure significantly decrease, also involved them drinking 500ml of orange juice daily for four weeks.

Yet another paper, this time looking at the memory-boosting benefits of the drink among older people, also involved 500ml daily.

While some research suggests that more concentrated versions of orange juice might be higher in flavonoids, though, they are typically lower in fibre, which has heart, bowel, and brain benefits.

Bear in mind, also, that eating citrus fruits whole is also much lower in sugar, higher in fibre, and still offers significant heart health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.