The Truth About Arsenic And Apple Juice

by Baseline of Health Staff

You may remember that back in September, TV’s most famous doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz, announced on national television that apple juice from China is slowly poisoning children because the apples used to make it are sprayed with arsenic pesticide.

As might be expected, the juice companies jumped right in to refute the claims. But more surprisingly, the FDA also joined the fight with an alternative health type of refutation, stating that there are two types of arsenic: organic and inorganic. As the FDA said, "The inorganic forms of arsenic are the harmful forms, while the organic forms of arsenic are essentially harmless." The FDA further stated that the results cited on the Dr. Oz show were for total arsenic levels and, did "not distinguish between the essentially harmless organic forms of arsenic and the harmful inorganic forms of arsenic." Further, the FDA stated that it had, in fact, tested some of the same batches of juice that Dr. Oz's lab had tested and found, contrary to Dr. Oz's lab, "very low levels of total arsenic in all samples tested." They concluded by saying, "These new results were consistent with the FDA's results obtained in the FDA's routine monitoring program and are well below the results reported by the Dr. Oz Show."

So, the issue of arsenic in apple juice turns out to be somewhat overstated, to say the least; but the real question is not about how much organic arsenic you can find in bottled apple juice (regardless of where it comes from), but rather, "Why in the world are you drinking processed, pasteurized, bottled apple juice in the first place?" As Jon Barron has explained many times, fresh juices, despite their high sugar levels, are a treasure trove of healing nutrients; bottled juices are essentially sugar water, with almost no health benefits left other than a handful of fugitive vitamins. For example:

• Fresh apple juice contains an abundance of pectin, which is a soluble fiber that absorbs toxins in the colon and helps keep you clean. Bottled clear apple juice contains almost none. Research has shown that apple pectin can reduce the damaging effects of cholesterol. Raw apples are the richest of fruits in pectin.


• Fresh apple juice contains upwards of 1% malic acid, which helps prevent kidney stones and sludge from forming. Bottled apple juice contains about one third that amount.


• Fresh apple juice is extremely high in antioxidants, just behind cranberries. Most of those antioxidants have been processed out in clear apple juice.


• Fresh apple juice has notable antiviral properties, making it a valuable preventive measure against colds, bronchitis, and other viral infections. Bottled apple juice not only has minimal antiviral activity, but because of the high sugar content, actually weakens your immune system.

So, the bottom line is, don’t believe everything you hear, stay away from pre-packaged processed foods and drinks, and stick with natural, organic products that you know are safe. Even better, juice your own organic apples.

More to read:-

• Getting Hysterical with Apples and Arsenic