Ministry of Health Clarifies: Fruit Juices Are Full of Sugar and Harmful to Health

The innocent and "natural" advertisements for fruit juices give consumers the impression that this is a health drink. To dispel the common public belief that fruit juices are healthy, the Ministry of Health will soon publish a position paper on the subject.

Soon, natural juices will receive a warning in the form of a red sticker, indicating that they are unhealthy, and nutritionally equivalent to other sugary soft drinks and sweet snacks. The reason: an enormous amount of fruit sugar, which is found in high quantities in sweet drinks.

Prof. Ronit Endvelt, head of the Nutrition Department at the Ministry of Health and a nutrition lecturer, and a member of the Food Labeling Reform Committee, responded to the 'Mammon' supplement inquiry, saying that "we demand to label the juices with a natural juice cup. In a 200-milliliter content, there are 5 teaspoons of sugar. That's a lot."

"Fruit sugar is more harmful than regular sugar. It increases the risk of fatty liver and damage to blood vessels. In the past, it was thought that it raised blood insulin levels less, but research has shown this isn't the case. All international bodies do not recommend consuming such a large amount of fructose. To create juice, a large amount of fruit is required, while the recommended daily serving is only 2 to 3 fruits per day. Therefore, we decided it will get a sticker."

The current widespread recommendation among many nutritionists is to consume fruit in its natural form and not as squeezed juice because juicing separates it from fibers. Moreover, to produce a bottle of natural juice, a large quantity of fruits is needed. It's important to remember that despite the many vitamins and minerals in fruits, the World Health Organization recommends consuming only 2 to 3 servings of fruit per day due to their high sugar content.