What Happens to Your Blood Sugar When You Drink Orange Juice

Many people believe that drinking orange juice raises blood sugar levels. However, research shows that it has a more neutral effect.

How Orange Juice Affects Blood Sugar

Blood sugar (blood glucose) is the amount of sugar circulating in the blood. High and low blood sugar can lead to symptoms and progress to medical emergencies if left untreated.

Orange juice has a reputation for spiking blood sugar levels, mainly due to its high carbohydrate content and low fiber content. However, research on the topic has yielded mixed results.

Multiple studies have found that drinking orange juice doesn’t always affect blood sugar levels, and in some cases, it may even lower them slightly.

Scientists suggest that the natural sugars in orange juice do not affect blood sugar in the same way that refined sugar in sodas or other beverages does.

Orange juice also contains flavonoids, which are antioxidant compounds found in plants. One flavonoid, hesperidin, is associated with the ability to lower blood sugar, potentially explaining why orange juice does not significantly raise blood sugar levels, despite its carbohydrate content.

Orange Juice Glycemic Index

The glycemic index (GI) ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they can raise your blood sugar after you eat them. The scale ranges from 1 to 100, with foods at 100 being the fastest to raise blood sugar levels.

Recent research on the GI of common fruit juices has found that orange juice has a GI of 43. Another reputable source gives orange juice a GI of 49. In either case, this puts orange juice in the low GI category.

Orange Juice vs. Whole Oranges

Whole oranges have a GI of 43, similar to and perhaps slightly lower than the GI of orange juice.

Eating a whole orange is less likely to spike your blood sugar as much as gulping down a glass of orange juice. Unlike orange juice, whole oranges contain fiber, which slows down the absorption of glucose.

One study compared the effects of eating an orange and drinking orange juice on blood sugar and found that while both increased blood sugar to a small degree, there was no significant difference between the two.

Orange Juice Nutrition

Orange juice is high in carbohydrates, vitamin C, and antioxidants, but low in fiber and protein.

A 3.5-ounce (oz) serving of orange juice contains the following:

• Calories: 47 calories
• Carbohydrates: 10 grams (g)
• Protein: 0.81 g
• Vitamin C: 30.5 milligrams (mg)
• Fat: 0.36 g

Can You Drink Orange Juice with Diabetes?

People with diabetes have trouble regulating blood sugar and may be more susceptible to orange juice raising blood sugar, which is why they are often counseled to avoid orange juice.

However, studies on this subject are contradictory.

In one study of people with diabetes who consumed a whole orange, drank orange juice, or drank a sugar-sweetened beverage alongside a meal, blood sugar increased. However, the increase was not significantly different between groups, and each group maintained good glycemic control.

Some reports suggest that regularly drinking orange juice can increase your risk of developing diabetes, but other studies contradict this.

As a result, dietary guidelines for people with diabetes regarding orange juice and whole oranges are inconsistent. Some health professionals advise eating whole fruit instead of fruit juice, while others recommend limiting fruit juice to 150 milliliters (mL) daily, or slightly more than half a cup.