When You Drink Orange Juice Every Day, This Is What Happens To Your Body

There is a reason we load up on OJ during cold and flu season, sometimes choosing to drink orange juice every day; the sweet citrus drink is chock full of immunity-boosting vitamin C, an "essential vitamin" that our bodies are unable to make naturally on their own, according to Healthline. The daily suggested dose of vitamin C is between 75 and 90 milligrams, and a six to eight ounce glass of 100 percent OJ offers about 93 milligrams on its own, per Good Housekeeping. Plus, it tastes good!

But how does the vitamin C in orange juice work to strengthen our bodies and keep us healthy? In short, vitamin C helps to promote "the production of white blood cells known as lymphocytes and phagocytes, which help protect the body against infection," and then it continues to ensure that these cells function properly, according to Healthline. The website even cites research linking vitamin C to reduced "healing time," and indicates that a diet low in vitamin C can lead to "poor health outcomes."

When it comes to the risk ratio for developing type 2 diabetes, "sugar-sweetened fruit juice" is a big no-no, while 100 percent fruit juice is not considered to be as big of a culprit, according to research. Still, you shouldn't freely chug OJ without regard for your sugar intake. A 2013 study cited by Diabetes.co.uk indicated that having three servings of fruit juice a week caused an eight percent increase in one's risk of getting diabetes. Nevertheless, if you want to actively reduce your diabetes risk, choose orange juice with pulp in it. According to Livestrong, "The fiber in the pulp of orange juice also helps to keep blood glucose and insulin levels stable." 

Still, since the sugar in juices can dramatically spike your blood sugar levels, as per Diabetes.co.uk, if you suffer from type 2 diabetes, you shouldn't regularly drink it. But you can treat yourself to the occasional glass of 100 percent fruit juice — just "remember to count the carbs as part of your overall meal, and plan for the blood sugar spike the juice might cause," Katherine Basbaum, a registered dietician with the University of Virginia Health System, told Everyday Health. Additionally, read the label and ensure you choose an orange juice without added sugar, as noted by Healthline. 

If you regularly suffer from kidney stones, you might benefit from choosing to drink orange juice every day. That is because studies have demonstrated that citrus juices — and orange juice, in particular, "may help prevent recurrent kidney stones," as noted by WebMD.

Kidney stones can form when minerals build up in your urine, eventually crystalizing, per the site. The citrate in orange juice naturally decreases the acidity in urine, preventing the formation of these stones in the first place. "Orange juice could potentially play an important role in the management of kidney stone disease and may be considered an option for patients who are intolerant of potassium citrate," Dr. Clarita Odvina, assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, told WebMD. 

So if you would rather skip the stones than pass them (and who wouldn't?), pour yourself a glass of orange juice.

Hesperidin is one of the amazing antioxidants in orange juice working hard for you and your bodily functions. According to WebMD, the ingredient, which is a "a plant-based compound called a flavonoid," can help "[improve] blood vessel function," reducing your chance of suffering from clogged arteries, a stroke, and heart disease in general, per the site.

As reported by WebMD, a study involving 24 males at risk for cardiovascular problems indicated that when they drank 500 milliliters of orange juice or a different drink fortified with hesperidin every day for a whole month, they experienced improved endothelial function and a reduction in diastolic blood pressure. However, the men did not get these heart-happy body-boosting benefits when they drank a beverage without hesperidin in it. 

So if you really "heart" your heart health, consider making the decision to drink orange juice every day. Your ticker may thank you.

Burn, baby, burn. If you tend to suffer from heartburn, you might want to steer clear of that morning glass of orange juice. The citrus fruit juice can cause some uncomfortable esophageal and digestive symptoms, as noted by Healthline. In fact, a 1995 study published in Gastroenterology involving hundreds of people who regularly suffer from heartburn, found that 73 percent of participants reported experiencing symptoms after having having a glass of orange juice or grapefruit juice (via Healthline). The research points to the high level of acidity in this drink as the likely culprit.

And, while OJ is a definitive heartburn offender, it is worth nothing that other popular drinks, including coffee and wine, were found to be common triggers as well. Basically, you might have to give up all of your favorite morning and evening drinks to quell the fire. 

Yes, orange juice has immunity-building vitamin C, but can taking it at the start of a cold or virus help quell an illness? Well, most studies have found that it won't really do much as an acute remedy. Dr. Bruce Bistrian of Beth Isreal Deaconess Medical Center told the Harvard Health Letter "that vitamin C is only marginally beneficial when it comes to the common cold." 

Still, getting your daily dose of vitamin C when you are not feeling in tip-top shape via orange juice or supplement certainly won't hurt. In fact, a review of 29 trials cited by Harvard did find that consuming at least 200 milligrams of vitamin C daily seemed to "reduce the duration of cold symptoms" by about one day. So go ahead and drink up that OJ in between sniffles, but take note that choosing to drink orange juice every day could be more effective, per Harvard Health Letter. 

You might hurt your smile if you drink orange juice every day. The high acid in OJ can weaken the enamel, according to a 2009 study by the University of Rochester Medical Center. This day-to-day erosion can be a catalyst for more widespread tooth decay. What's more, drinks that are both high in sugar and acid pack a doubly harmful punch, per Healthline. 

"It's potentially a very serious problem for people who drink sodas and fruit juices daily," Dr. YanFang Ren, DDS, of the Eastman Institute told Science Daily. He wants patients to know that sipping orange juice slowly over a longer period of time compounds the potential erosion. He suggests drinking fruit juice and other acidic beverages in one swift sitting to minimize exposure. Essentially, avoid bathing your teeth in orange juice and other drinks.

Another helpful tip to benefit your pearly whites? Dr. Keith Arbeitman told Healthline that he advises "diluting fruit juice with about 50 percent water" to decrease the risk of tooth damage.

Potassium is an essential mineral, according to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This is because potassium works together with sodium to maintain optimal fluid balance within the body, with potassium regulating intra-cellular fluid balance and sodium regulating fluid balance outside cells, which may be helpful to think of as circulatory fluid (via Nursing Times). Since our bodies are comprised of 55-78% fluids (via U.S. Geological Survey), fluid balance is critical. Among other things, fluid balance keeps muscles (including the heart) contracting effectively and blood pumping at optimal pressure. In fact, in adults with blood pressure just above the norm, increasing potassium intake is often recommended as a first step toward optimal blood pressure (via the American Heart Association). In addition, potassium may help support optimal bone mineral density by helping to reduce calcium loss (via a 2008-2011 study in Osteoporosis International). 

According to the AHA, recommended daily potassium intake is 4,700 mg per day — which can be a challenge for many of us because the primary sources of potassium are fruits and vegetables, and many of us don't get enough of these in our daily diets, per The New York Times. Fortunately, orange juice is a rich, drinkable source of potassium. An 8-ounce serving delivers nearly 500 mg in one fell swoop, which is more than what you'll get in a banana (via Healthline), which is often thought of as the go-to fruit for a quick hit of potassium.

Orange juice is rich in antioxidants that can neutralize free radicals produced or introduced into our bodies, which are associated with cellular deterioration, per Medical News Today and Healthline. In addition, orange juice is particularly rich in flavanones, a type of flavonoid responsible for lending orange juice, as well as other citrus juices and fruits, a slight bitterness that balances the inherent sweetness and tang, according to a 2016 paper published in the Journal of Nutritional Science. More relevantly, however, they also make orange juice notably supportive of brain health, according to the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, reporting on a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 

In that study, 37 healthy older adults were divided into two groups. One group drank orange juice — two cups daily — while the other drank a placebo that tasted like orange juice and contained the same number of calories. Memory and cognition were assessed in the members of both groups as a way of measuring cognitive function, both at the outset of the study and after the eight-week study period, and those in the orange juice group demonstrated an 8% improvement on average. The study authors considered this a promising indication that flavanone consumption, including in orange juice, may help "attenuate cognitive decline in aging." As the ADDF has pointed out, more research is needed, including whether the sugar content in orange juice could undermine orange juice's potential brain benefits.

Given OJ's associated health benefits —its sugar content and related risk of weight gain and diabetes notwithstanding — compelling scientific evidence appears to suggest that those who regularly consume orange juice are more likely to have a better diet overall, at least in the formative years between ages of 2 and 18, according to a 2011 study published in Nutrition Research. 

For that study, the researchers followed the health data on 7,250 children ages 2-19 who were already participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which compiled data on children's eating habits, nutritional status, weight, and well as their overall diet quality. Just over 26% of the children were orange juice drinkers, with an average intake of over one cup per day. Researchers found that the orange juice drinkers were more likely to meet their daily requirements for Vitamins A and C and folate. In addition, their Healthy Eating Index was significantly higher and included more fruit. Although orange juice drinkers tended to take in more calories daily, they didn't weigh more or had higher BMI than those who didn't. While this doesn't prove that drinking orange juice inevitably leads to a healthier diet without weight gain or increased BMI, the correlation is powerful and led the researchers to recommend encouraging orange juice consumption in children.