Health and Nutrition Information for 100 Percent Orange Juice
100 percent orange juice provides a variety of vitamins and minerals, plus is:

• Fat free
• Saturated fat free
• Sodium free
• Cholesterol free
• Free from added sugars

Vitamin C
An 8-ounce glass of 100% orange juice is an excellent source of vitamin C.

• Orange juice is loaded with vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid). In fact, an 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides at least 100% of the Daily Value for vitamin C! Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants, acting as a scavenger to help neutralize free radicals (naturally occurring harmful elements that can damage cells, DNA, and proteins within the body). Antioxidants may assist in fighting cell and tissue damage that could eventually lead to diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
• Vitamin C can support a healthy immune system to help the body fight infection. A serving of orange juice can provide vitamin C and a host of other nutrients that your immune system needs to stay strong and healthy.^1,2 Fruits and vegetables, especially citrus fruits, are primary contributors of vitamin C in the diet. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of various types of cancer, such as esophageal cancer.³
• Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, a protein that gives structure to bones, cartilage, muscle and blood vessels, and can help support tissue repair, wound and bone healing, and healthy skin.
• Vitamin C can help increase iron absorption. Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies worldwide and has been reported in 9%-16% of the adolescent and adult female population in the United States.⁴ Vitamin C can help boost the absorption of non-heme iron (the iron found in plants, not meat products).⁵ So including a glass of orange juice before eating a spinach salad may help your body absorb more iron from the spinach. Vitamin C-rich foods should be included daily to get the most iron out of foods.
• Vitamin C is important for healthy body growth! It helps babies grow and helps build strong bones and teeth. And, it helps the expecting mom's body absorb certain forms of iron. Vitamin C requirements are 13 percent higher when a woman is expecting.⁶

Carotenoids and Vitamin A
An 8-ounce glass of 100% orange juice supplies 4% of the Daily Value for vitamin A.

• Carotenoids are pigments found naturally in some foods, primarily fruits and vegetables. The most prevalent carotenoids in the American diet are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin. Some carotenoids can be converted to vitamin A in the body (called pro-vitamin A carotenoids). Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin are pro-vitamin A carotenoids. Carotenoids are thought to have antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic activities, although beta-carotene supplements were found to be cancer promoting in some cases. Oranges contain beta-cryptoxanthin and orange juice is considered one of the main contributors of beta-cryptoxanthin in the U.S. diet.⁷

Potassium
One 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides 14% of the Daily Value for potassium.

• Orange juice provides potassium, which is a mineral important for maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in cells, sending nerve impulses, and helping muscles contract.
• According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s High Blood Pressure Education Program, potassium plays an important role in our cardiovascular health.⁸ Diets containing foods that are a good source of potassium and that are low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.⁹

Folate
An 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides 11% of the Daily Value for folate.

• Folate is essential for growth and development. It plays a key role in DNA formation and cell division, helps guard against one form of anemia, and may help reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, known as "neural tube defects."
  • To help reduce the risk of someday having a baby with a neural tube defect, all women capable of becoming pregnant need to get 400 micrograms of the synthetic form of folate, folic acid, every day while consuming food folate from a varied diet.¹⁰ Have a glass of 100% orange juice to increase the folate in your diet.
  • To help maintain a healthy pregnancy, women's folate needs increase by 50 percent.⁶
• Folate may significantly modify homocysteine (an amino acid) levels in the body. High levels of homocysteine in the blood have been associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.¹⁰
• Some research suggests that folate may be associated with a reduced risk for certain cancers, and some diseases affecting the brain such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.⁵

Phytonutrients

• The term “phytonutrients” is commonly used interchangeably with the term “phytochemical”. Phytonutrients are plant compounds which are thought to have nutritionally important or health-promoting qualities.
• Scientists are discovering that these plant-derived components are intimately involved in fighting cellular damage, a common initiation step in the pathways for cancer, aging and a variety of diseases.
• Unlike commonly known nutrients (protein, fat, vitamins, minerals), some of the nutritional/health roles phytonutrients play are only now being understood, so the recommended daily amounts considered "essential" for health may not yet have been determined or verified. However, the importance of phytonutrients is steadily becoming apparent as research uncovers more benefits.
• Oranges naturally contain more than a wide array of phytonutrients; some are known as flavonoids, a class of natural compounds. Some flavonoids have been reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-carcinogenic activities which may help protect against various diseases and conditions.¹¹ Hesperidin is the most common flavonoid found in oranges.

Magnesium
An 8-ounce glass of orange juice supplies 7% of the Daily Value for magnesium.

• Magnesium is a mineral that helps your body generate energy and is required for the action of many enzyme systems.⁵
• Heart-healthy diets that are low in sodium and rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium may have beneficial effects on blood pressure.¹²
• Magnesium may play an important role in bone health and diets rich in fruits and vegetables can optimize the intake of micronutrients required for bone health.¹³

Thiamin
An 8-ounce glass of orange juice provides 18% of the Daily Value for thiamin.

• Juice an orange or eat a fresh orange for energy! They're full of thiamin, a water-soluble vitamin that is associated with the action of many enzyme systems, the conversion of food into energy and the production/repair of DNA.
• Older individuals may be at increased risk for thiamin deficiency and should include food sources of thiamin into their daily diets.⁵

Vitamin B6
An 8-ounce glass of orange juice supplies 7% of the Daily Value for vitamin B6.

• Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, helps the body process protein and carbohydrates in food and helps produce hemoglobin, a part of red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of the body.
• Higher homocysteine concentrations have been identified as a risk factor for heart disease. Vitamin B6 helps the body convert homocysteine to cysteine and lower the amount of homocysteine in the blood.¹⁰

Niacin
An 8-ounce glass of orange juice supplies 3% of the Daily Value for niacin.

• Niacin helps metabolize the food you eat into energy your body can use. Niacin also is used for DNA repair and helps the body use calcium.
• For pregnant women, niacin requirements increase almost 30% to meet higher energy demands during pregnancy.⁶

Calcium
Calcium-fortified orange juice is an excellent non-dairy source of calcium that is
lactose free.

• Calcium aids in bone and tooth development, blood pressure regulation and muscle function.
• According to data from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, only 43% of men and 38% of women met the daily Adequate Intake (AI) recommendation for calcium.¹⁴
• In the U.S., 10 million individuals are estimated to already have osteoporosis and almost 34 million more are estimated to have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.¹⁵
• High blood pressure is a debilitating condition that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Research supports that a calcium-rich diet, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, may help support healthy blood pressure.⁵

References:
1. Scrimshaw N, SanGiovanni J. Synergism of nutrition, infection, and immunity: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997;66:464S-477S.
2. Calder P. The immune system: a target for functional foods? Br J Nutr. 2002;88:S165-S176.
3. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. Washington, DC: AICR, 2007.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Iron Deficiency-United States, 1999-2000. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly. 2002;51(40):897-899.
5. Present Knowledge in Nutrition. Ninth Edition. Barbara A. Bowman and Robert M. Russell (eds). Washington, DC: International Life Sciences Institute, 2006.
6. Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Dietary Reference Intakes. The Essential Guide to Nutrient Requirements. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2006.
7. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium and Carotenoids. Washington DC: National Academy Press, 2001.
8. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National High Blood Pressure Education Program. Accessed at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/factors/supls.htm#potassium. Access date: 01/30/2008.
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition.
A Food Labeling Guide. September, 1994 (Editorial revisions June, 1999). Appendix C: Health Claims. Accessed at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-6c.html. Access date: 01/25/2008.
10. Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, and Choline. Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1998.
11. Yao LH, Hiang YM, Shi J, Tomas-Barberan FA, Datta N, Singanusong R, Chen SS. Flavonoids in food and their health benefits. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition. 2004;59:113-122.
12. Kotchen TA, McCarron DA. Dietary electrolytes and blood pressure. A statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 1998;98:613-617.
13. Nieves JW. Osteoporosis: the role of micronutrients. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(suppl):1232S-1239S.
14. Ma J, Johns RA, Stafford RS. Americans are not meeting current calcium recommendations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007;85:1361-1366.
15. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Website access: http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/diseasefacts.htm. Accessed January 29, 2008.