When You Drink Orange Juice For Breakfast, This Is What Happens To Your Cholesterol
A tall glass of orange juice pairs perfectly with a breakfast plate full of eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Orange juice may lessen inflammation, lessen the risk of chronic diseases, and lessen the likelihood of kidney stones, according to Hartford HealthCare scientists. In addition, researchers from a 2024 study that was published in the scholarly journal Nutrients discovered that, in comparison to drinking an orange beverage with added sugar, drinking 100% fresh-squeezed OJ before eating seemed to lower blood sugar levels in healthy persons. Can a glass of orange juice in the morning help our cholesterol health in addition to all these other health benefits?
Natural orange juice has a lot of nutrients, including fibre, potassium, folate, and vitamin C. According to a 2023 study that was published in the Journal of Nutritional Science, this beloved morning food may not significantly reduce total cholesterol or raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol, but it may raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels.
The effects of orange juice on cholesterol levels
Nearly 400 people took part in the 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis. Supplementing with orange juice did not appear to significantly affect HDL or total cholesterol levels, but other studies indicated a decrease in women’s “good” cholesterol levels. On the other hand, daily intakes of orange juice above 500 millilitres were found to dramatically lower LDL cholesterol levels. Studies that lasted at least eight weeks showed this to be especially true.
Nevertheless, certain studies indicate that orange juice may really affect LDL and total cholesterol levels. Researchers looked at the long-term impact of drinking orange juice on the cholesterol levels of people who worked at an orange juice plant in a 2013 study that was published in Lipids in Health and Disease. According to the assessment, 41% of the employees had been drinking orange juice for a year or longer, with the remainder employees never having done so. Employees with normal or mildly elevated cholesterol were shown to have reduced total and LDL cholesterol levels in relation to orange juice consumption compared to those who did not drink the beverage.
Picking the healthiest OJ products and timing consumption
Melissa Keeney, a registered dietitian nutritionist, tells Hartford HealthCare that pulp is preferable to no pulp if you want to make sure orange juice is good for your general health. “The pulp contains fibre, which regulates the digestive system and keeps blood sugars more stable,” she said. Additionally, you should search for orange juice brands that claim to have fewer calories. Although at first this can seem like a good thing for your health, items with 50% fewer calories also have half as much nutritious value due to additional water.
And lastly, sugar-related concerns? Fructose, also referred to as natural fruit sugar, is abundant in orange juice. According to results from a 2018 mouse study that was published in Cell Metabolism, the small intestine is where fructose is primarily metabolised. Although it was once thought that the liver handled this processing, high fructose content can make it difficult for the small intestine to completely metabolise fructose, which raises the possibility that fruit sugar will reach the liver and could be harmful to human health. The author of the study suggests that people should drink fruit juices with awareness and adds that it could be better to have orange juice after breakfast rather than right away. However, because researchers from the above cited 2024 study noted that drinking 100% natural OJ before a meal may actually lower blood sugar, more research on the best times to consume OJ seems to be necessary.
