Talking about popular tropical drinks, pineapple juice health Benefits will come to mind. Not only juice, but you can also use pineapple as a base for smoothies, cocktails, and tenderizing meat. Pineapples are sweet and sour in taste, and most importantly they are packed with immense health benefits.
Pineapple is thought to have originated in South America and is now mostly farmed in Thailand, Malaysia, Kenya, China, India, and the Philippines. Various cultures around the world take pineapple and its juice as a traditional folk remedy to prevent and treat different maladies.
Modern research shows there are many pineapple juice health benefits that include improved digestion, heart health, reduced inflammation, and some protection against cancer cells. So, what elements made pineapple a healthy juicing option?
Pineapple is a good source of immune-boosting vitamins and minerals. This fruit also delivers some of the major dietary sources like bromelain. There’s more, pineapples are naturally sweet so, you don’t need extra sugar in your juice.
Also, you will get enough manganese and Vitamin A of your daily value. These are some extensive compounds that maintain a healthy metabolic rate in your body.
Contents
Pineapple Juice Health Benefits-Brief descriptions
Nutrient values of pineapple juice
Pineapple juice delivers a concentrated dose of nutrients like protein, fat, carbs, fiber, copper, vitamins, etc. The below chart provides nutrition values for one cup or 250 g of pineapple juice.
Source: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
| Nutrients | Amounts |
| Calories | 132 |
| Sugars | 25 grams |
| Protein | Less than 1 gram |
| Carbs | 33 grams |
| Fat | Less than 1 gram |
| Fiber | Less than 1 gram |
| Minerals and Vitamins | DV (daily value) percentage |
| Manganese | 55% |
| Copper | 19% |
| Thiamine | 12% |
| Folate | 11% |
| Potassium | 7% |
| Magnesium | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 100% |
| Vitamin B6 | 15% |
Pineapple juice is rich in –
Manganese:
This element is an essential nutrient, as the body requires it to function properly. Manganese is important for overcoming manganese deficiency.
It’s also associated with some of the major chemical processes in your body, like processing cholesterol, carbohydrates, and protein. Research shows the involvement of manganese in bone formation.
Copper:
Copper is an essential mineral for maintaining a sound body. Pineapple juice provides a handful portion of copper which is 19% of your required daily value. This mineral helps to produce red blood cells, supports your immune system, forms collagen (a type of protein that helps make up your bone and tissues), Protects body cells from damage, turns sugar into energy, etc.
Thiamine or Vitamin B1:
Thiamine is a type of vitamin also called Vitamin B1. People who are suffering from thiamine deficiency syndromes, like beriberi and inflammation of the nerves, should take a recommended amount of thiamine.
This vitamin also helps to boost your immune system, recovers digestive problems, heart disease, etc. However, there is little scientific evidence to support these uses.
Vitamin C:
This is one of the most effective nutrients to enhance your immune system’s deficiencies against various diseases. Vitamin C works to maintain our overall health from cancer, stroke, skin wrinkling, etc.
Researchers stated that a daily 500 milligrams of Vitamin C is crucial for achieving expected health results. Pineapples are one of the good sources of Vitamin C. A single serving of pineapple juice provides 100% of your daily value.
Vitamin B6:
Pyridoxine or vitamin B6 helps to prevent pyridoxine deficiency that causes anemia (a condition in which the quantity of red blood cells decreases). It also works against heart diseases, PMS, depression, and many other health conditions.
An optimum amount of vitamin B6 is needed for maintaining the proper function of sugars, proteins, and fats in your body. It is also important in the formation of brain cells, nerves, skin, etc. So, drinking pineapple juice may fulfill the required daily value of pyridoxine in your body.
Potential pineapple juice health benefits
Pineapple juice is a type of beverage that is loaded with a handful of nutrients and powerful antioxidants. All these elements are responsible for maintaining a sound body. Regular consumption of pineapple juice can boost your immunity and helps to suppress inflammation, digestion, heart health, fight against certain cancer types, etc.
Boost immunity
Pineapple juice helps to achieve a stronger immune system. A study shows that bromelain, a mixture of enzymes found in pineapple juice, may activate your immune system. Bromelain also helps to recover your organs from infections like pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinusitis.
Moreover, Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant present in pineapple juice, may kick-start the immune system and increase the production rate of white blood cells in your body. There was a study conducted on 98 school-going children. Researchers discovered that children who consumed canned pineapple daily had fewer viral and bacterial illnesses than those who did not.
Features anti-inflammatory properties
Pineapple juice contains bromelain, an enzyme triggering your body’s ability to fight pain and reduce swelling. Bromelain is also used as a treatment for inflammatory diseases and injuries.
Some studies stated that compounds like bromelain are more effective compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like NSAIDs. Bromelain also features fewer side effects. Moreover, in Europe, the therapeutic use of bromelain is approved for reducing inflammation caused by surgery or trauma.
Improves heart health
Bromelain also plays a crucial role in improving your heart health. Generally, it breaks down the blood clots and cholesterol deposits in your arteries, ensuring healthy blood flow and reducing the chances of heart disease.
A study (Test-tube and animal studies) stated that bromelain in pineapple may reduce high blood pressure, lessen the severity of angina pectoris and transient ischemia events. So, regular consumption of pineapple-based bromelain may improve your heart health and reduce the chances of heart diseases.
Aids digestion
Pineapple juice includes enzymes that aid in the breakdown of protein in your digestive tract. This results in reduced constipation, bloating, and gas. Enzymes like bromelain in pineapple juice may notably improve digestion in people whose pancreas doesn’t make enough digestive enzymes (known as pancreatic insufficiency).
Bromelain also features properties that can help protect your gut from diarrhea-causing bacteria such as E.coli, V.cholera and reduce the chances of gut inflammation. However, more research needs to be conducted regarding these digestive effects caused by pineapple’s enzyme.
Provides relief from cold, allergy, and asthma symptoms
The bromelain from pineapple juice may initiate the thinning process of mucus that causes congestion in the chest or sinuses. Also, with its anti-inflammatory properties, pineapple juice may work against the common symptoms of cold and allergies.
There’s more, researchers have found a relation between bromelain intake and the reduction of airway inflammation. This typical type of inflammation is a primary symptom of asthma. Additionally, Vitamin C in pineapple juice has shown results towards “bronchoconstriction,” a type of asthma symptom. Vitamin C is also beneficial against severe asthma attacks exacerbated by a cold.
So, a daily intake of pineapple juice could be your gateway ticket from natural diseases like cold, allergy, and asthma.
Good for your eye health
Protecting your eye vision from macular degeneration is another pineapple juice health benefit. This macular degeneration is a kind of disease that affects your eyes when you get older. Pineapple juice features Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that reduces the chances of vision loss.
Moreover, beta-carotene and Vitamin A, also found on pineapples, work against macular degeneration and other vision-related problems. A study concluded that pineapple juice reduces eye floaters, which are small shapes or spots that blunt your vision.
May fight against certain types of cancer
Pineapple juice shows the potential to fight against cancer cells. It’s because of the bromelain content in pineapples. Studies found that bromelain helps to prevent the formation of tumors as well as reduce their size. It results in the death of cancerous cells.
However, these studies are on findings that use concentrated amounts of bromelain to fight cancer cells. It’s much higher than those you absorb from a single glass of pineapple juice. So, more research needs to happen on this particular topic.
Potential precautions of pineapple juice
Sometimes pineapple juice can draw harmful effects on your body. However, these precautions are crucial for people with certain medical conditions. You need to be careful about whether pineapple juice is a better addition to your diet or you may ace these certain health problems –
Stomach problems
If you intake high amounts of Vitamin C and bromelain, you may get nausea, diarrhea, heartburn, and excessive menstrual bleeding. Moreover, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease may face increasing heartburn because of pineapples’ acidity.
Kidney disease
In some cases consuming an excess amount of potassium content through food material may drive some problems for kidney patients. So, speak with a doctor before taking a pineapple juice sip while dealing with kidney diseases.
Harmful toxicity
Pineapple juice may introduce toxicity to the human body and causes severe diarrhea with vomiting. However, ripened pineapple juice contains lesser toxic effects.
Weight gain possibility
Pineapple juice delivers less fiber while maintaining a high sugar rate. As a result, it may fill you up as much as the same quantity of raw pineapple would. So, gaining weight is a high possibility with excess consumption of pineapple juice.
Allergy problem
For certain people, pineapple may be allergic. If that’s the case, then drinking pineapple juice will cause rash, hives, or breathing difficulties. So, avoid drinking pineapple juice if you face these health problems frequently.
Diabetes problems
If you consume more than 150 ml or 5 ounces of pineapple juice daily may increase the possibility of diabetes and heart diseases. So, it’s recommended to follow the dietary guidelines of limiting juice consumption.