Not long ago, health professionals were warning parents to keep their kids away from drinking too much fruit juice because of its link to obesity. However, a recent study has found no association between childhood obesity and 100 percent fruit juice with no sugar added. "That's big news,” says Dr. Pamela Rockwell, D.O., assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, “and it's made a difference in what I tell my patients,"
Other studies, meanwhile, have found that many fruit juices provide powerful health benefits. Juices such as pomegranate, orange, and cranberry juices have been found to help prevent or cure diseases.
Some juices that provide positive health benefits include:
Blueberry juice. Blueberries are seen to have properties that allow it to prevent urinary tract infections.
Cranberry juice. Long considered a home remedy for urinary tract infections, cranberry juice now appears to be most effective when taken before the UTI develops, but not at curing an existing infection.
Orange juice. Everyone's favorite breakfast drink may help people prevent recurrences of painful kidney stones. Research has found that a daily glass of orange juice can reduce the incidence of kidney stones better than other citrus drinks, such as lemonade.
Pomegranate juice. Pomegranate juice has received a great deal of attention in recent years for its reported benefits. It is a rich source of antioxidants and has been shown to lower LDL cholesterol—
Pomegranate juice also may slow the growth of prostate cancer. Pomegranate has been shown to stabilize the levels of men's PSA, or prostate specific antigen. This protein in the blood is measured to gauge how quickly a man's prostate cancer is progressing. Another study found that pomegranate juice may increase blood flow to the heart in people with ischemic coronary heart disease.
Other studies indicate that eating more fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A 2006 study found that people who drank fruit or vegetable juices more than three times a week were 76 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's than those who drank juice less than once a week.
Drinking fruit juice is not an inherently healthy activity, however. Many juices have additives like high levels of corn syrup , typically high fructose corn syrup. Be sure to look for 100 percent natural fruit juice with no sugar added.
Corn syrup is related to bad health issues like higher blood sugar and obesity. It leads to the buildup of fat cells, and it is a major contributor to the problem of obesity in industrialized nations.
Spacelocker:
http://www.spacelocker.com
