「经济学人」Are juice shots worth the price?

Fresh fruit is probably a cheaper alternative

ADVERTS FOR ginger shots line the walls of London’s underground network. Companies like MOJU and Suja juice, an American brand, tout the immunity-boosting properties of the daily dose. Plenish advertises similar such products as “Turmeric Recovery” and “Berry Gut Health”, which it says are nutrient-packed, providing “100% of the recommended daily intake” of various vitamins. Are these trendy tonics a shortcut to good health?

Ginger has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and in Ayurveda, a system of medicine that originated in India. Although robust clinical trials in this field are few, there is some evidence to show that ginger can help with ailments ranging from nausea to inflammation. Turmeric, a plant closely related to ginger, may also be helpful. Curcumin, the active compound in the plant, has been shown to ease pain and reduce levels of cholesterol.

Berry-based shots are also proving popular. The fruits have several health benefits. In one randomised, placebo-controlled trial 61 men and women aged 65 to 80 consumed a mixture made up of 26 grams of freeze-dried whole berries every day for 12 weeks. The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2023, showed that those who had the powder scored more highly on tests of memory and attention, and had lower blood pressure than those given the placebo. A trial led by researchers at Washington State University in October 2024 found that drinking about 355 grams of elderberry juice every day for a week results in a healthier gut microbiome and improves the body’s ability to manage and regulate glucose levels.

But do these benefits translate to commercialised juice shots? MOJU has conducted some clinical trials to prove the efficacy of their own concoctions. One small study, conducted in collaboration with London South Bank University, and published in Foods, a journal, tested the benefits of MOJU’s prebiotic daily shot—which combines apple, lemon, ginger, and raspberry juices (among other ingredients)—on 14 healthy individuals for three weeks. The results suggested they could affect the gut microbiome in beneficial ways.

Vasantha Rupasinghe, a food scientist at Dalhousie University, says that concentrated juice shots (such as MOJU’s) can be a handy way to get beneficial nutrients. Anthocyanins, a group of antioxidants found in some berries, for instance, lower blood pressure only if enough are consumed. Dr Rupasinghe notes that a single shot may contain as many as multiple servings of berries.

But proceed with caution: some natural substances present in juice can be toxic in high quantities. A juice’s other ingredients also matter: the body is better able to absorb curcumin, for example, when it is combined with piperine, a compound in black pepper.

Eating whole fruit, sticky and time-consuming as it may be, may offer certain advantages over fruit-based shots. Juicing often removes a fruit’s pulp and skin, for example, where much of the fibre integral to healthy digestion is stored. Skin is also rich in antioxidants, which are thought to protect against cancer and heart disease.

All in all, there is some evidence to suggest that the occasional properly processed juice shot is beneficial, and little evidence of harm. For the busy commuter, a $2.48 shot from Walmart will probably do no damage to anything but their wallet. Though it may be better (and cheaper) to have some fruit.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Are juice shots worth the price?” (May 9th 2025)

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