Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Fruit juice tied to lower depression scores in UK trial
Scientists in the UK wanted to find out if eating more fruits and vegetables could help people feel better.
They asked 42 grown-ups who did not eat many fruits and vegetables to join a study for four weeks.
The people were split into three groups.
One group kept eating the way they always did.
The other two groups got help and a little money to eat more fruits and vegetables.
One of those groups also drank fruit juice or a smoothie every day.
At the end, the people who drank juice had lower scores on a test that measures sad feelings.
The difference was bigger than what might happen by chance.
But the study was small and short, so it does not prove that fruit juice makes people less sad.
Scientists say more research is needed before we can be sure.
A small randomised controlled trial by Newcastle University researchers found that adults who added a daily serving of 100% fruit juice or a smoothie to an increased fruit and vegetable intake recorded lower depression symptom scores.
The four-week study involved 42 UK adults who initially ate two or fewer portions of fruit and vegetables a day, split into three groups of 14.
The juice/smoothie group had an adjusted PHQ-9 depression score of 2.93 versus 5.45 in the control group, a statistically significant difference of 2.52 points.
There were no significant differences between groups in anxiety, gut symptoms, or metabolic biomarkers, but both intervention groups increased their fibre intake.
Researchers caution the results are an early finding, cannot be widely generalised, and do not prove fruit juice prevents or treats depression; the trial was funded by the Fruit Juice Science Centre.
The findings were published online in the British Journal of Nutrition on 22 May 2026 and the paper's authors include Courtney Neal, Georg Lietz, Kirsten Brandt, Anthony William Watson and Oliver Michael Shannon.
- Who
- Researchers at Newcastle University led by Courtney Neal, and 42 UK adults with low fruit and vegetable intake
- What
- A four-week randomised controlled trial tested whether increasing fruit and vegetable intake, with or without daily fruit juice or smoothies, affects mood; the juice/smoothie group showed significantly lower depression scores
- When
- Findings published online in the British Journal of Nutrition on 22 May 2026; the trial itself lasted four weeks
- Where
- United Kingdom (study conducted at Newcastle University)
- Why
- To investigate whether helping people overcome barriers to eating more fruits and vegetables, including via fruit juice, could benefit mental well-being
- Study type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Lead institution
- Newcastle University
- Journal
- British Journal of Nutrition
- Publication date
- 22 May 2026
- Participants
- 42 adults
- Trial duration
- Four weeks
- Key result
- 2.52-point lower adjusted PHQ-9 depression score in the juice/smoothie group (2.93 vs 5.45)
- Funding
- Fruit Juice Science Centre