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Orange juice is the world’s most popular fruit juice, with manufacturers estimated to produce 1.6 billion metric tons each year. While orange juice has been popular for a long time, the earliest records date back to the 17^th century.¹

Here are 6 scientifically proven health benefits of orange juice that you can get from enjoying a glass today!

Orange Juice Contains Vitamin C

One health benefit of orange juice is that it contains a high amount of vitamin C, due to oranges being one of the richest forms of it. Eight ounces of fresh-squeezed orange juice contains roughly 125 milligrams of vitamin C. Orange juice that is diluted from frozen concentrate is estimated to have 95 milligrams per eight ounces.²

Vitamin C is important because it can boost the body’s production of collagen, which is a protein that is a building block for your skin, bones, and tissues. Studies also show that vitamin C may help lower the body’s blood pressure because it can work to remove excess salt and water from the body.³

Orange Juice Contains Antioxidants

Antioxidants are important because they can protect your body against free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can cause illness and disease. Orange juice contains many antioxidants that can protect your body from ailments such as cancer and heart disease.⁴

One antioxidant that orange juice contains is hesperidin, which has been linked to improving blood vessel function. Another antioxidant that orange juice contains are carotenoids, which can boost the immune system and protect your body from disease.

Orange Juice May Prevent Kidney Stones

Kidney stones are mineral deposits that can build up in your kidneys and cause pain and nausea. Orange juice has been proven to increase pH, which raises the body’s alkalinity in the urine and can prevent kidney stones.⁵

A study with 194,095 participants found that those who regularly drank orange juice had a 12% lower risk reduction of getting a kidney stone than those consuming less than one serving a week. The researchers believe orange juice had this effect because it is rich in potassium citrate, which can increase the body’s citraturia (also known as citric acid) and raise the urine’s alkalinity.⁶

Orange Juice Can Improve Heart Health

Orange juice has also been proven to help improve heart health. LDL cholesterol, which is known as the “bad” cholesterol, can build up along the walls of your arteries and put you at risk for cardiovascular diseases. Several reviews and studies have found that orange juice drinkers typically have less LDL cholesterol than those who do not consume orange juice.⁷

Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 19 trials studied orange juice’s relationship on the body’s blood pressure. The conclusion was that orange juice was able to significantly reduce the body’s diastolic blood pressure, which is the blood pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. High diastolic blood pressure can put you at risk for strokes, kidney diseases, and cognitive decline.⁸

Orange Juice Can Assist with Maintaining Weight

Orange juice has been part of many weight loss programs because it can help curb a sweet craving while filling the body with vitamins and minerals. Orange juice has a low glycaemic index and contains little fat content, which make it a great option for someone who wants to maintain a low sugar diet.⁹

However, you should be mindful that processed orange juice can have high sugar content. For the best results, it is estimated that you drink 50-200ml of orange juice. Naturally squeezed orange juice will yield more benefits than processed orange juice because processed juices might contain extra sugars and additives that can cause more harm than good when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight.¹⁰

Orange Juice May Improve Vision

Another one of the health benefits of orange juice is it may improve your vision. According to the American Optometric Association, orange juice can help your body maintain healthy ocular blood vessels, which are essential to preventing nuclear cataracts.¹¹

One study of 2,000 Australian adults over age 50 who ate at least one serving of oranges or drank orange juice every day had a 60% reduced rate of developing macular degeneration later in life. One reason for this is the flavonoids in oranges can help protect the eyes, and the researchers said even one orange a week may be beneficial eyesight. The Vitamins C, E, and A in oranges were also found to help protect eye health during the study.¹²

How to Drink More Orange Juice

Now that you know some of the health benefits of orange juice, you should consider drinking more to reap these benefits. Some ways you can add more orange juice to your diet include:

• Plan to have a glass of orange juice with your breakfast
• Drink water with orange juice squeezed into it
• Top desserts with orange juice
• Make orange juice popsicles by freezing them in ice cube trays
• Squeeze orange juice into your yogurt
• Make a fruit smoothie with orange juice as an ingredient
• Drink tea with orange juice mixed in
• Make a fresh juice mixture with oranges as an ingredient

Drink More Orange Juice Today

Drinking more orange juice is a great way to receive the health benefits of oranges. Consider drinking a glass of orange juice to reap the rewards today!

Here at Saber Healthcare, our dietary teams work to create menus that help our residents achieve their nutritional goals. We focus on meeting the daily recommended vitamins and nutrients while making our food taste great.

To learn more about Saber Healthcare and what we offer, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

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2. Anne, Melodie. “Which Kinds of Juices Have the Most Vitamin C in Them?” Hearst, SFGate. Last Updated 12 December 2018. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/kinds-juices-vitamin-c-them-6992.html
3. “5 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Vitamin C.” Saber Healthcare Group. 4 September 2020. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.saberhealth.com/news/blog/5-vitamin-c-benefits
4. Franke AA, Cooney RV, Henning SM, Custer LJ. Bioavailability and antioxidant effects of orange juice components in humans. J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Jun 29;53(13):5170-8. doi: 10.1021/jf050054y. PMID: 15969493; PMCID: PMC2533031. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2533031/#:~:text=Orange%20juice%20(OJ)%20contains%20an,beneficial%20phytochemicals%2C%20such%20as%20folate.
5. Link, Rachael. “5 Surprising Health Benefits of Orange Juice.” Red Ventures, Healthline Media. 12 February 2019. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/orange-juice
6. Ferraro, Pietro Manuel et al. “Soda and other beverages and the risk of kidney stones.” Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN vol. 8,8 (2013): 1389-95. doi:10.2215/CJN.11661112. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731916/
7. “Heart Health and Florida Orange Juice.” Florida Orange Juice. Accessed 11 January 2023. Link: https://www.floridacitrus.org/oj/health-nutrition/orange-juice-health-benefits/cardiovascular-health-2/#:~:text=A%20recent%20meta%2Danalysis%20found,cardiovascular%20disease%20and%20ischemic%20stroke.&text=Many%20heart%20benefits%20may%20be,plant%20compounds%20such%20as%20flavonoids.
8. Liu, Kai et al. “Effect of fruit juice on cholesterol and blood pressure in adults: a meta-analysis of 19 randomized controlled trials.” PloS one vol. 8,4 e61420. 24 Apr. 2013, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0061420. Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3634794/
9. “15 Extraordinary Benefits of Orange Juice You’ve Probably Never Heard of.” Conserve Energy Future. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/orange-juice-benefits.php
10. Harris, Sophie. “Weight loss: Drinking a glass of orange juice a day can help shed extra pounds.” Express. 19 May 2020. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/diets/1283990/weight-loss-drinking-glass-orange-juice-a-day-vitamin-C
11. “Orange Juice for Better Vision.” Uncle Matt’s Organic. 20 August 2018. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.unclematts.com/orange-juice-for-better-vision/
12. “An orange a day keeps macular degeneration away: 15-year study.” ScienceDaily. 12 July 2018. Accessed 11 January 2022. Link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180712100504.htm