The evils of fruit juice have been known for quite some time. It’s been a hard road for many to accept the fact that something touted as being so damn good for you by the press and advertisers, is actually adding rolls of deliciously hideous flab to your mid-section.
Not only that, but fructose is bad for your Iron levels (which makes it extra naughty for men who are unable to excrete their iron stores quite like women can).
Check this sh*t out
Timothy Ferris (Author of ‘The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman‘) tested the effects of fructose on the body in two tests. The first was during a no-fructose (meaning no juice nor fruit) diet and the second after a week of consuming approx 1.5 glasses of pulp-free OJ upon rising and 1 prior to bed.
Orange juice was the ONLY thing distinguishing diets A and B.
The results?
Tim’s cholesterol shot up from 203 -> 243 (out of ‘healthy’ range).
His LDL also went from 127 -> 165 (also out of range).
Two other results unexpectedly shot up as well
Albumin: 4.3 -> 4.9 (out of range).
Iron: 71 -> 191 (way out of fricken range!).
What’s Albumin?
Albumin binds to testosterone rendering it inert (not so good for the male jangly bits down there).
What’s up with the Iron reading though?!
If you just punched your pet retriever in the snout after reading the Iron jump, you’re not alone (I don’t have a dog, so I glassed myself instead).
Due to the fact that men have no way of clearing out excessive iron (aka, they don’t menstruate), excessive iron build-up is bad, bad, bad for you.
Why are high iron levels bad?
High iron levels have been correlated to an increased number of heart attacks in otherwise symptom-free subjects as well as an increaes in all cancer-specific deaths(1).
‘The 4-Hour Body’ contains some interesting informaton. Well worth a read.
Further reading
If you’d like to read more on this topic as well as other interesting tid-bits, I suggest you head over to Amazon quicker than Ronnie Coleman on a ‘protein bar hunt’ and buy ‘The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman‘ by Timothy Ferris. (I’m not being paid to endorse this product in any way).
1 – Dr. Tom Perls, director of the New England Centenarian Study
I never knew iron had so much effect, I’ll have to look at that one closer.
I love Juice ..but try not to have too much ..my treat day is to head down to Boost juice and get a big sugary chocolate one …. but only do that once every 2 weeks …i’m too scared to drink anymore!
Raymond
I’m a fan of a boost juice every now and then. Usually only on the weekends and normally one containing some form of ice cream ;)
Like everything taken to excess, juice does you more harm than good. Id call 2 glasses per day, every day, mildly excessive :)
How about apples and oranges bad for you too?
Anything containing fructose – so yes :)
Everything in moderation though folks. Don’t be NOT eating things just because someone trialled it to excess. You need to enjoy life!
Think of fruit/fruitjuice like alcohol. Drinking it 2 times a day every day would be bad right? :)
Hey mate, so is this to say that me blending a cup full of frozen fresh fruit (1/2 banana, 4-5 strawbs, either half a mango or some blueberries) with a splash of low fat milk is something I should be doing sparingly, not daily?
I would say daily is a little too often but it will all depend on your own trial and error.
If you find you have a tendency to put on more fat when you add fruit to your diet, id curb it back to every second or third day and see how that goes.
Also, if you find you have high iron levels in recent blood tests, or the libido is suffering, it might be something worth looking at.
I’ve always had weird stipulations about drinking my calories – I like eating food too much. The only calorie containing drink I’ll consume is my post-workout whey… the rest of the day it is solely black coffee and water with xtend in it.
Was that book any good? I’ve been thinking about adding it to my list of books to read.
You are bang on the money concerning drinking your calories.
The book is a great read. A lot of it you need to make up your own mind about. However, Ferris does a good job explaining that it isn’t the holy grail.
He’s a great test dummy for his own theories and the supporting documentation is well researched.
Thanks! I think it is likely to end up on the ‘to read’ list.
Thanks Clint, very, very interesting as always. Love reading your stuff. See you soon, BG
Cheers Ben :)
Keep reading and I’ll keep writing!
Alright, so I have a quick question. I drink juice daily but primarily in one form, 2/3’s water, then I’ll top it with Grape and Cranberry Juice. I only drink “all natural” or “100%” juice. On occasion, I enjoy a glass of OJ, or limade, but these are generally few and far inbetween. Other than that, my fluid intake is made of primarily water, and when unsweetened tea. I don’t drink coffee and rarely drink soda. What are you’re thoughts on this regiment? Any suggestions for improvement?
Nice work on you Visual Impact Results by the way.
The question is, do you really need it daily, or is it a ‘programmed’ action that you’ve been doing for so long its become a ‘habit’?
As others have said it’s best not to be drinking your calories when you can avoid it (other than a protein shake on the run when it’s absolutely necessary).
As I’ve written in the article, the fructose in the juice you’re drinking may not be doing your manly bits that much of a favor.
Think of any kind of juice as a ‘treat’. Maybe save it for your weekends only as a ‘reward’ ?
If you’re concerned about vitamin/mineral intake – You can get all of these from better sources such as fibrous veges.
Hope that helps and thanks for the kudos!
Clint, the thing that I have to bring up is that I think the testing was a little nonsensical. Of course if you drink something sugary 1 hour before bed for consecutive days your health will deteriorate. I have not read up on the rest of the science but I would not see much of an issue if you would EAT 1 fresh fruit before a workout to energize you ( if you really need it ). But, personally, I am enjoying my workouts in a fasted state. Just wanted to throw that on the table as it does not seem logical to me.
Studies have shown that it doesnt matter what time of the day you ingest your calories. It’s still a matter of calories in vs calories out. The main point Tim is trying to make is about fructose and what it does to iron and cholesterol levels which relates to weight gain.
As we are talking about non-fasted training here in regards to a piece of fruit before a workout, there would be other more superior ways to achieve an energy spike. That being said, If you were going to consume a piece of fruit (negative effects of fructose aside) then yes, an hour pre workout would be a good time ;)
Hmm, do you have a link to that research? It’s not that I don’t trust you. I would just like to see this research myself. A part of me cannot believe that eating ANYTHING before sleep does not have an adverse effect in your body. I know I feel worse in the morning after having anything after 6 PM. Especially carbs/sweets. Curious how the body digests the food the same way during sleep or in a fully awake/active state.
No prob at all Bryan…
“In one study comparing two meal patterns, which involved one group eating more calories earlier in the day and one group eating most calories later in the day, more favorable results were found in the group eating large evening meals. While those who ate more in the AM lost more weight, the extra weight was in the form of muscle mass. The late evening eaters conserved muscle mass better, which resulted in a larger drop in body fat percentage.” – Lean gains.
Study here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9040548
and
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/02/060202080832.htm
Interesting. Very peculiar how the body handles eating/burning calories during YOUR time of day routine. Both of those articles, and pretty much all the other research studies on the net are all geared to weight gain/loss and eating prior to sleep. I am now curious about how the calories are actually burned during sleep, whether the nutrients/lack there off are stored/used differently during this time. What I have in mind is if someone were to workout for an hour, rest for 30 minutes, then consume solid food, and then went to bed… would it be more beneficial or more detrimental? Or neither? I will keep digging to see if I can find any studies with this in mind.
Oh please. On workout days I consume 1600 calories right before bed. That’s about 250 grams of carbohydrates. I’m dropping body fat and improving health markers.
Im not sure you’re reading ANY of these comments properly buddy.
As my comment says, more favourable results were found in the group eating larger evening meals.
this is quite possibly one of the dumbest things I have ever read. Tim Ferris is a con man.
Juice, fructose, etc., etc., does not cannot has never and will not make you fat. Period.
Run this nonsense past Martin Berkhan.. he would laugh at you.
Or will eating McDonalds every single day as long as you’re in a caloric deficit.
If you actually read the bulk of the article, it pertains to the effects of fructose in regards to the body’s iron levels.
Come back when you’ve discovered your reading glasses.
Clint,
Thanks for another informative article. I love how no matter what you post, someone will always try to disagree with you. The simple fact is there is more than one method to achieve your goals. Is one better than the other? No way, it’s all about finding what works better for you. At the end of the day eat everything in moderation and train with consistency and intensity is the key to success.
Niko
JUICING FOR FAT LOSS:
http://www.agreatestfitness.com/2013/11/juicing-for-fat-loss.html