Orange Juice (OJ) has long been considered a healthy drink owing to its high vitamin C and antioxidant content.
People drink one glass in the morning, thinking that it is a good start to the day. In actuality, though, it is not that good to drink the juice on an empty stomach as many people have considered up to now.
Recent studies and research have found this glass of juice in the morning actually can be the cause of digestive problems, affecting the blood sugar levels for the worse, and even disturbing the acid-base balance of the body.
Here is why drinking orange juice in the morning may not be that great as it used to be considered.
The high levels of acidity result in inducing digestive problems
The pH value of orange juice ranges from 3 to 4, so it will increase the stomach’s acidic conditions when you consume it. The stomach itself secretes hydrochloric acid to digest food, but it has set up a balance for digestion; if its consumption is with something sour accompanying it, like orange juice in this case, then it will disturb the naturally set digestive balance. This will aggravate symptoms of discomfort in people who suffer from acid reflux, heartburn, or gastritis.
A study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology shows that highly acidic foods and beverages can cause irritation in the lining of the stomach, especially when the body has no food to dilute the acid. Over time, the frequent intake of such acidic foods on an empty stomach, like orange juice, may cause inflammation of the lining of the stomach due to repeated irritation, thus making it more susceptible to serious health issues such as stomach ulcers and other gastrointestinal problems.
Glucose spikes
While orange juice is highly loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, it is also heavily loaded with natural sugar in the form of fructose. The sugar from orange juice directly goes into the bloodstream when taken on an empty stomach, causing an extremely rapid rise in blood glucose levels. Such sudden peaks in blood sugar followed by a rapid decline make you lethargic, irritable, and hungry within hours.
One of these, from the American Diabetes Association, showed that fruit juices such as orange, when taken with an empty stomach, could only result in unstable sugar levels in the blood system, especially among diabetic patients or those individuals who have a high risk for it. Without much fibre, as would be obtained through the intake of whole fruits, the sugar gets absorbed into the system so much faster and can eventually lead to insulin resistance.
Dissolving of enamel on the tooth
Perhaps lesser-known is the way drinking orange juice on an empty stomach may cause tooth enamel to erode. Being that orange juice is highly acidic, it has the tendency to weaken the enamel that protects your teeth, hence making them more prone to decaying. Acidic beverages consumed at times when there is lower saliva production, often in the morning, increase this risk because one’s body makes use of saliva in neutralizing acids and protecting the tooth enamel.
According to a study published in Caries Research, frequent consumption of acidic drinks, especially those more acidic in natural citrus juices, constitutes a great contribution to the erosion of enamel. Further decaying of the
enamel can give way to sensitive teeth, cavities, and other chronic dental health problems.
Body acid-base balance disturbance
The acid-base balance in the human body is maintained exquisitely for proper functioning. Whereas the body is in a state of fasting, the intake of acidity-imbued foods and beverages tends to upset this condition through increasing the acidity in the blood and tissues. Even though the human organism is well adapted to overcome these acidic kinds of foodstuffs consumed at irregular times, the routine intake of orange juice at the start of the morning can distress the body’s power of maintaining pH homeostasis and, therefore, can generally affect health.
A study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism had it that extreme acidity, as a norm in diets taken habitually without restraint, may cause mild metabolic acidosis conditions wherein the tissues of the body become overly acidic. This, in turn, can bring about fatigue, loss of bone density, and reduced kidney function.
Risk of malabsorption of nutrients
This acidity in the orange juice might interfere with the absorption of other nutrients within the body, much so when taken on an empty stomach. Other minerals like magnesium and calcium are best absorbed at a more alkaline stage of the stomach; hence, a glass of orange juice in the morning interferes with the absorption of those minerals.
One study published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that timing could be everything when it comes to citrus juices. These researchers insist that acidic juices consumed during meals have less acid than natural juices taken on an empty stomach; food to some degree neutralizes stomach pH and therefore supports better assimilation of vitamins and minerals.
While there are several health benefits of orange juice, including its richness in vitamin C, one must remember the time when it should be drunk. Orange juice on an empty stomach may lead to gastrointestinal distress, elevate levels of blood sugar, give rise to erosion in the tooth enamel, and disrupt acid-base balance in the body. This would also have an adverse effect on the absorption of minerals.
For the majority of the population who love to start their day with orange juice, they should, if possible, consume it with a meal, especially with protein or even healthy fat, as this would buffer the acidity, slowing down the absorption of sugar and thereby balancing out the nutrition in the body. Alternatively, whole fruits are healthier options; they contain fibre, which regulates blood sugar levels and promotes digestion.
Greater awareness of when and how one consumes orange juice still allows for the benefits without some of the possible negative effects derived from drinking orange juice on an empty stomach.
