Daily Fruit Juice Linked to Lower Depression Scores
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- Newcastle University researchers ran a 4-week randomized controlled trial with 42 adults who ate two or fewer portions of fruit and vegetables per day, finding the juice-and-smoothie group scored 2.52 points lower on the 27-point PHQ-9 depression scale than controls (2.93 vs. 5.45)
- Dr. Courtney Neal, who completed the study at Newcastle and is now at the University of Liverpool, said the results show that "simple, cost-effective solutions, like drinking a small glass of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie daily" could help people reach 5-a-day with mental-well-being benefits
- Both intervention groups — 14 people eating whole fruits and vegetables only, and 14 adding a daily juice or smoothie — increased their daily fiber intake by an estimated 8-10 grams during the trial, and all three groups received £10 per week in support
- Researchers reported no adverse effects on metabolic health markers after four weeks among participants drinking fruit juice or smoothies, despite long-standing concerns about the sugar content of juice
- The study, funded by the Fruit Juice Science Centre and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, sits against a backdrop in which fewer than 1 in 5 (17%) UK adults currently meet the 5-a-day fruit and vegetable recommendation
- Dr. Oliver Shannon, Lecturer in Nutrition and Ageing at Newcastle and a senior author, called the depression-score finding "promising and worthy of further exploration" and pointed to prior research linking citrus juices to improved brain blood flow and cognitive function
Why it matters: With only 17% of UK adults meeting 5-a-day and fresh-produce costs cited as a barrier, a 42-person Newcastle trial suggesting a single daily glass of juice or a smoothie can deliver a measurable, statistically significant drop in depression scores offers a practical dietary lever — though researchers themselves call the four-week, small-sample result "modest" and frame it as a reason for further study, not a clinical recommendation.
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