If you want to lose weight you must avoid processed fruit juices.

 Fruit juice is often perceived as healthy that’s understandable, given that it is natural and has the word “fruit” in it.However… what many people fail to realize is that fruit juice is also loaded with sugar in fact, fruit juice contains just as much sugar and calories as a sugary soft drink… and sometimes even more the small amounts of vitamins and antioxidants in the juice do not make up for the large amount of sugar.

FRUIT juice cartons should contain proper labelling, making it clear that the drink contains just as much sugar as some fizzy cans, researchers say.

Professor Naveed Sattar and Dr Jason Gill, from the University of Glasgow's Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, said that drinking more than just one glass a day of fruit juice can lead to an increased risk of diabetes.

They have also argued that fruit juices should not be included in the current five-a-day guidelines as high intake is "counter-productive" to a healthy lifestyle.

Mr Sattar, who is Professor of Metabolic Medicine, said: "Fruit juice has a similar energy density and sugar content to other sugary drinks.

"For example, 250ml of apple juice typically contains 110 kcal and 26g of sugar, and 250ml of cola typically contains 105kcal and 26.5g of sugar.

"Additionally, by contrast with the evidence for solid fruit intake, for which high consumption is generally associated with reduced or neutral risk of diabetes, current evidence suggests high fruit juice intake is associated with increased risk of diabetes."

Writing in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal, they called for more comprehensive labelling of high-sugar fruit juices to help the public make more informed decisions about their diet.

It comes amid a debate about whether sugar is as bad as tobacco or alcohol and should be treated as a public health issue in the same way.

Doctors told Westminster last month that the obesity crisis could be stopped within five years if the industry cut the amount of sugar it put into food by 30%.

Prof Sattar said yesterday: "In the broader context of public health policy, it is important that the debate about sugar-sweetened beverage reduction should include fruit juice.

"Helping individuals cut not only their excessive fat intake, but also refined sugar intake, could have major health benefits, including lessening obesity and heart attacks.

"Ultimately, there needs to be a refocus to develop foods which not only limit saturated fat intake but simultaneously limit refined sugar content."

As part of the study, the researchers also tested public awareness regarding the sugar content of fruit juices, smoothies and sugar-sweetened drinks by carrying out an online poll of more than 2000 adults.

Participants were shown pictures of full containers of different non-alcoholic beverages and were asked to estimate the number of teaspoons of sugar contained in the portion shown.

Although the sugar content of all drinks and smoothies was similar, the sugar content of fruit juices and smoothies was underestimated by 48% on average, whereas the sugar content of carbonated drinks was overestimated by 12%.

While many fruit juices are billed as containing one portion of a person's recommended daily fruit intake, it is by no means a substitute for fruit itself.

In addition to its higher sugar content, fruit juice is also without much of the natural fibre found in a piece of fruit.

However, fruit juices can contain important vitamins and minerals, whereas sugar-sweetened drinks do not.

But Dr Gill said the micronutrient content of fruit juices may not offset the "adverse metabolic consequences" of excessive consumption. He added: "There seems to be a clear misperception that fruit juices and smoothies are low-sugar alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages.

"[But], contrary to the general perception of the public, and of many healthcare professionals, that drinking fruit juice is a positive health behaviour, their consumption might not be substantially different in health terms from drinking other sugary drinks."

Fruit Juice Isn’t Always What it Seems

Unfortunately, food and beverage manufacturers  aren't always honest about what is in their products.

The fruit juice you find at the supermarket may not be what you think it is… even if it’s labelled as “100% pure” and “not from concentrate.”

After being squeezed from the fruit, the juice is usually stored in massive oxygen-depleted holding tanks for up to a year before it is packaged.

The main problem with this method is that it tends to remove most of the flavor, so the manufacturers need to add so-called “flavor packs” to the juice, to bring back the flavor that was lost during processing.

So even if you’re buying the highest quality juices at the supermarket, they are still far from their original state.

Some of the lowest quality ones don’t even resemble fresh-squeezed fruit juice at all… they are basically just fruit-flavored sugar water.

Fruit Juice Contains Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants, but it Lacks Fiber and is Loaded With Sugar

Fruit juice is missing a lot of the stuff that makes whole fruit healthy.

Orange juice, for example, does contain Vitamin C and is a decent source of folate, potassium and Vitamin B1.

It also contains antioxidants, some of which can increase the antioxidant value of the blood.

But calorie for calorie (or sugar gram for sugar gram), it is nutritionally poor compared to whole oranges and other plant foods like vegetables.

The main problem is this… fruit juice contains no fiber and is very high in sugar.

Take a look at the breakdown for a 12 ounce (350 ml) portion of Coca Cola and apple juice:

• Coca Cola: 140 calories and 40 grams of sugar (10 teaspoons).
• Apple juice: 165 calories and 39 grams of sugar (9.8 teaspoons).

This is the ugly truth about fruit juice… most types contain a similar amount of sugar as a sugar-sweetened beverage, sometimes with even more total calories!

Bottom Line: Fruit juice contains some nutrients, but less compared to many plant foods. It contains no fiber and is just as high in sugar and calories as most sugar-sweetened beverages.