Juice cleansing seems to be a popular nutritional strategy these days. For those who are unaware of the concept, a juice cleanse diet involves a person only consuming juice mixes derived from vegetables and fruits. There are various reasons why someone might do a juice cleanse diet, with detoxification and weight loss being two commonly cited ones.
The diet strategy may be popular, but is it good for you? The results of a new collaborative study conducted by researchers affiliated with Northwestern University, San Raffaele University (Italy), and the University of Illinois suggest that juice cleansing may actually be bad for people who do it.
“In recent years, juicing has often been promoted as a convenient way to increase fruit and vegetable intake, with juice-only diets marketed for digestive cleansing and overall health improvement. However, juicing removes most insoluble fiber, which may diminish the health benefits of whole fruits and vegetables.” the researchers stated about their study, which was published in the academic journal Nutrients. “Lower fiber intake can alter the microbiota, affecting metabolism, immunity, and mental health, though little is known about juicing’s specific effects on the microbiota.”
“Fourteen participants followed one of three diets—exclusive juice, juice plus food, or plant-based food—for three days. Microbiota samples (stool, saliva, and inner cheek swabs) were collected at baseline, after a pre-intervention elimination diet, immediately after juice intervention, and 14 days after intervention. Moreover, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to analyze microbiota taxonomic composition.” the researchers stated about their methodology.
“The saliva microbiome differed significantly in response to the elimination diet…The juice intervention diets were also associated with changes in the saliva and cheek microbiota, particularly in the relative abundances of pro-inflammatory bacterial families, potentially due to the high sugar and low fiber intake of the juice-related products. Although no significant shifts in overall gut microbiota composition were observed, with either the elimination diet or the juice intervention diets, bacterial taxa associated with gut permeability, inflammation, and cognitive decline increased in relative abundance.” the researchers stated about their findings.
“These findings suggest that short-term juice consumption may negatively affect the microbiota.” the researchers concluded.
As with all studies, the one at the heart of this article is not the last word on the subject. However, it is definitely something that people should consider before trying out a juice cleanse diet. As with all dietary strategies, talk to your doctor before starting a juice cleanse diet to see if it is right for you.
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