New study reveals differences in the effect of sugar in juices and...
Fruit juices and soft drinks seem identical in sugar content, but a new study breaks this idea. While the World Health Organization classifies both drinks as "juices with free sugars," the metabolic reality affecting our bodies is different.
The results obtained in a group of healthy young people show that the natural matrix of juices —fibers, minerals, and bioactive compounds— modulate sugar absorption, creating less pronounced glucose spikes than those caused by soft drinks with added sugars.
The metabolic effects of sugar in juices and soft drinks
Experimental comparison between different types of drinks
The study analyzed four drinks with 25 grams of a mixture of glucose, fructose, and sucrose: a 100% orange juice, a mixture with 50% juice, a drink with only added sugar, and a glucose water control. The key? The amount of natural matrix present.
The results revealed that the more natural juice the drink contained, the lower the blood glucose peak 15 minutes after consumption. The 100% juice generated a glucose level of 95.9 mg/dL, while the drink with only sugar reached 108.7 mg/dL.
The role of the natural matrix
The food matrix of juices provides essential elements: minerals like potassium, magnesium, and calcium that facilitate glucose transport to the cells, and fibers that moderate gastric emptying. This makes the sugar reach the intestine more slowly and in a controlled way.
Thus, the matrix of fruit juice is not just sugar, but an internal regulator of that sugar, something that cannot be replicated in industrial soft drinks.
Individual response to sugar absorption: we are not all the same
High and low responders
Another important revelation is individual variability. Although it was a homogeneous group of healthy young people, the glycemic response varied greatly. They were classified as “high responders,” with pronounced glucose spikes, and “low responders,” with more moderate reactions.
In high responders, the 100% juice drastically reduced the glycemic peak compared to the drink with added sugar. In contrast, low responders showed little difference between the two drinks, suggesting a natural metabolic protection.
Implications of variability
This difference invites us to abandon the view of a universal diet and to consider that individual response to sugar is key for a healthy diet. Not all juices nor all people react the same, and this can make a difference in preventing metabolic diseases.
For this reason, while some may clearly benefit from natural juices, others already have an intrinsic capacity to control their glucose levels.
Final reflections on sugar classification and dietary recommendations
Limits of current dietary rules
Current recommendations consider all free sugars, whether from fruit juices or soft drinks, as equal regarding health. But this study questions this idea, showing that the chemical and physiological context matters more than we think.
It is about stopping the search for the "perfect drink" and starting to understand our own metabolic profile, because as Professor Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán says, "we are moving away from a world of good and bad foods toward one of different responders."
Applications and future studies
It is worth noting that the study was conducted on young, healthy men, so its applicability to people with other conditions or ages still needs exploration. But it is nevertheless a step forward in tailoring more personalized recommendations.
If you are interested in this new approach, you might also like to discover a new local plan adapted to diverse needs, or the new space opening for Italian cuisine in Plaza del Mercadal, examples that also invite reflection on diversity and personalization.
The reality is that the sugar in 100% juices and soft drinks is not metabolically equivalent, and this can have an important impact on metabolic health depending on the individual response.
