Getting Low On Things That Give You Cancer? Try Juice!

Guess they're running out of things that give you cancer -- so now it's juice! Yep, scientists say what was supposed to be the healthy way to start the day might not be as beneficial as you think.

The current thinking is that fruit juice contains so much sugar it actually increases the risk of certain cancers, rather than preventing them. In fact, by the time the drink has been processed and packaged, many of the ingredients in fruit that protect against tumors have been lost.

Australian researchers examined the diets of 2,200 adults and found that those who consumed lots of fruit juice had a higher risk of cancer. The research, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, found that those drinking more than three glasses a day were more likely to develop rectal cancer, a form of bowel cancer.

They also found that many things found in fruit which help protect against bowel cancer – including fiber, vitamin C and chemicals known as antioxidants – are lost during the juice's processing. The scientists, of Bangor University, Wales, said people would be better off eating prunes or other dried fruit, as even freshly-squeezed juice contains as much as five teaspoons of sugar per glass.