The truth about fruit juice and smoothies: should you down them or ditch them?

Some experts say we shouldn’t drink any fruit juices at all. Others point to the fibre, vitamins and anti-inflammatories they provide. Here’s what you need to know

When my sister saw me drinking a glass of orange juice at breakfast, she was horrified. “You’re drinking pure sugar!” she said.

Juice, once considered so virtuous people paid good money to go on “juice fasts”, has been demonised over the past decade. The epidemiologist and author Tim Spector has said orange juice should “come with a health warning” and he’d rather people drink Coca-Cola. Despite this, the global juice market is growing, with chains such as Joe & the Juice expanding rapidly – and in an umbrella review last year, Australian researchers found potential health benefits to drinking juice.