Top 10 Health Benefits Of Pineapple Juice

If you love drinking pineapple juice, here’s some good news for you: Besides being a refreshing and pleasant-smelling drink, pineapple juice has plenty of health benefits. From enhancing your digestive health to improving your immune system, pineapple juice offers many other benefits that are all good reasons to make it an inseparable part of your daily menu.

This super delicious beverage is made from the sweet tropical pineapple fruit. Pineapples were originally cultivated in South America, but they’re now grown in countries that have a warm climate all over the world. You can find pineapples at supermarkets globally and pineapple juice is commonly available in bars and restaurants.

Being packed with vitamins and nutrients, people have used pineapple as a traditional remedy to prevent or treat different health conditions. So, whether you like to consume it raw, baked in delicious desserts, grilled, or freshly squeezed in cocktails and smoothies, don’t doubt that you’ll reap innumerable health benefits from it.

Top 10 Benefits Of Pineapple Juice

1. Pineapple Juice Abounds with Nutrients

Pineapple juice is a rich source of different nutrients that help increase energy levels and improve the immune system and bone health.

250 grams, or one cup, of pineapple juice have:

• Calories: 132
• Fat: < 1 g
• Protein: < 1 g
• Carbs: 33 g

Pineapple juice also contains the following minerals and vitamins: Manganese, Calcium, Copper, Magnesium, Thiamine, Potassium, Folate, Iron, Phosphorus, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6.

In addition to having a good amount of nutrients, pineapple juice is rich in antioxidants, which play a role in neutralizing free radicals that can accumulate in your body as a result of an unhealthy diet, air pollution, or stress and damage cells.

2. Pineapple Juice May Protect Eye Health

Thanks to the antioxidant properties and high amount of vitamin C that are present in it, pineapple juice may lower your risk of losing vision. Besides being rich in vitamin C, pineapple juice has vitamin A and beta-carotene – components that lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that causes cataract and other eye disorders.

3. Pineapple Juice May Bring Benefits to Your Skin Health

This tasty, sweet drink is a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and manganese which together are helpful in synthetizing collagen. Collagen is a protein and one of the main components of the skin which prevents wrinkles and tightens it. These three components also protect the skin against air pollution and the harmful UV rays.

4. Pineapple Juice May Reduce Inflammation

Besides being a rich source of nutrients, pineapple juice has one more health-giving property. Namely, it contains a group of enzymes, known as bromelain, which lower inflammation that can happen as a result of surgery, sports injury, trauma, arthritis, or osteoarthritis of the knee. Bromelain is also known for its ability to strengthen the immune system and boost digestive health.

5. Pineapple Juice May Have Anti-Cancerous Properties

This is most probably due to its component bromelain. This group of enzymes may decrease the size of tumors, prevent their production, and even destroy them. Moreover, bromelain may prevent healthy cells from mutating.

6. Pineapple Juice May Improve the Immune System

Being packed with vitamin C, which is one of the most powerful immunity boosters, pineapple juice helps raise the amount of granulocytes in the blood. Granulocytes are a type of white blood cells whose function is to eliminate allergens and infection from your body. Additionally, bromelain is believed to help your body recover from certain conditions, such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and sinusitis.

7. Pineapple Juice Is Good for Weight Loss

If you’re searching for healthy drinks that can help you shed pounds, search no more. Pineapple juice will do the job. Being low in calories, containing a good amount of water and vitamin C, and being free of unhealthy fats, pineapple juice can improve your metabolism, relieve bloating, and keep your body fit. Also, bromelain is believed to have the ability to burn off belly fat, so now you know what beverage you should consume to get that flat stomach.(1)

8. Pineapple Juice May Improve Your Cardiovascular Health

Make pineapple juice a part of your daily menu and your heart will reap many benefits of it. Bromelain and potassium, present in it, may prevent coagulation (forming blood clots), thereby enabling normal flow of the blood. Bromelain can also lower high blood pressure as well as reduce the severity of a mini-stroke and angina pectoris, which are caused by heart conditions.

9. Pineapple Juice May Control Mood Swings

Pineapple juice is rich in vitamin B6, which is known to be highly beneficial to boosting mood and regulating hormones in your body, so it may have a positive effect on people who suffer from anxiety or depression or have a hormonal imbalance. 

10. Pineapple Juice May Boost Your Digestive System

Pineapple juice contains enzymes which contribute to an easier absorption of protein in your gut, which in turn helps relieve gas, constipation, and bloating. Moreover, thanks to its antibacterial nature, bromelain may lower gut inflammation as well as protect your gut from bacteria, such as Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli which cause diarrhea.

Hot Pineapple Water

In addition to pineapple juice, pineapples can be used to make other healthy beverages. For example, if you soak pieces of pineapple into hot water, the end result will be a drink that can potentially bring benefits to your health. Besides being an excellent substitute for fizzy, sugary drinks, pineapple water is low in sugar and calories. Some of its benefits are: it improves the immune system since it’s packed with vitamin C, it is hydrating, it helps your digestive health, and it suppresses inflammation processes due to its component bromelain.

Pineapple, Cucumber, Ginger Detox Smoothie

If you’re looking for drinks that will help you cleanse your body and relieve gas and bloating, then this is the right drink for you. Besides being refreshing, super tasty, and free of added sugars, it has diuretic properties that can help eliminate toxins, water, and salt from the body. It also keeps your intestines and kidneys in good shape and allows them to function properly.

Pineapple Juice Mixed Drinks

Whether you’re into smoothies or cocktails, there are plenty of these that have pineapple as one of their main components. Its distinct taste and fresh smell make every beverage tastier, sweeter, and more refreshing.(2)

You don’t need special recipes to prepare these drinks. Just squeeze the fruits you want to combine, mix the juices, and pour them in a nice cocktail glass. You can also add a couple of ice cubes and imagine yourself being on a tropical beach while sipping the delicious pineapple juice mixed drink. Some of the top fruits that make a perfect, yummy combo with pineapple juice are: mangos, cranberries, coconuts, apples, and oranges.

Side Effects Of Pineapple Juice

We’ve already explained why pineapple juice is good for you, i.e. your health. However, in addition to its plethora of benefits, it might have some side effects. So, it would be the best to consult your physician to see if you can add pineapple juice to your diet. Here are the most common side effects of pineapple juice:

• If pineapple juice is consumed in large amounts, its component bromelain can cause vomiting, skin rashes, nausea, and diarrhea. It may also interact with some anticonvulsants, antibiotics, antidepressants, and blood thinners.
• People living with gastroesophageal reflux disease should be especially careful with pineapple juice as its acidity may increase the symptoms of reflux or heartburn.
• Pineapple juice can cause allergic reactions. People who are allergic to latex, might be allergic to pineapple juice as well. This can cause breathing problems, skin rash, nausea, flatulence, swelling, and slight headache.
• If it is consumed in excessive amounts, some people can gain weight.
• People who take anticoagulants should consult their physician prior to adding this beverage to their diet.
• If pineapple juice is consumed in large amounts a day, this may cause cavities and gingivitis and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.
• Pineapple juice made from unripe pineapples can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
• People who have kidney disorders should consult their physician prior to consuming pineapple so as to make sure that the potassium, present in the juice, is safe for them.