Spanish researchers want to determine the content of vitamin C in foods with far more accuracy. A recent study by pharmacists from the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) found that many fruit juices and soft drinks contain much higher amounts of vitamin C than their labels indicate.

Apple juice had the highest vitamin C content of the 17 samples analyzed.

The pharmacists were able to detect vitamin C levels more accurately due the new chromatographic technique they developed. Of the 17 fruit juices and drinks tested, only two had accurate amounts of vitamin C (or ascorbic acid) listed on their labels.

Vitamin C is good for you, right? Yes, it’s a natural antioxidant with several health benefits. However, getting too much vitamin C may cause gastrointestinal problems.

One member of the research team explained that the labels of many fruit drinks probably only indicate the amount of added ascorbic acid. The labels may not take into account the fruit’s natural vitamin C content.

(Photo: Leonid Mamchenkow)

Post from: Blisstree

More Vitamin C Than You Think

Juices made from apples or purple grapes – and the fruit themselves – protect against developing clogged arteries, a study suggests.

Hamsters were fed the fruit juice, the equivalent of 4 glasses a day for an average size person, or water plus a fatty diet and the little animals that consumed the juice had a lower risk of developing artery problems. Hamsters to people is a big leap but the researchers say their findings suggest the amount of phenols contained in a food have a direct effect on its antioxidant properties and thus have a significant public health relevance.

via BBC 

Post from: Blisstree

Juices protect against clogged arteries