The Best Antioxidant Juices

The juices of fruits and vegetables with the highest concentrations of antioxidants offer the best protection against damage caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that naturally occur in your body. The best antioxidant juices contain 100 percent natural fruits or vegetables. Darker colored fruits and vegetables appear to contain more antioxidants.

Pomegranate Juice

Pomegranates at market (Image: elisacicinelli/iStock/Getty Images)

Laboratory research conducted at the Center for Human Nutrition at UCLA concluded that pomegranate juice has superior antioxidant properties. According to a study reported in the February 27, 2008, issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry," a research team compared samples of pomegranate juice to samples of acai, apple, blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, cranberry, Concord grape and orange juices. The researchers also included red wine, iced tea beverages, black, green and white teas. In this comparative study, four tests analyzed and compared the antioxidant potency of these commonly consumed beverages. The researchers concluded that pomegranate juice outranked the other beverages in antioxidant potency by at least 20 percent.

Concord Grape Juice

Concord Grape Juice with grapes (Image: HandmadePictures/iStock/Getty Images)

Concord grape juice rated as the second best antioxidant juice in the above-mentioned comparison study at UCLA. The University of Maryland Medical Center states that the skin and seeds of dark red and purple grapes contain antioxidants. Resveratrol, an important antioxidant associated with reducing the risk of heart disease, is found in the juice made from dark purple Concord grapes. Grape juice also contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which effectively increase levels of high-density lipoproteins commonly referred to as "good" cholesterol. These antioxidants have been shown to reduce the risk for atherosclerosis and help lower blood pressure.

Blueberry Juice

Blueberries spilling from basket (Image: Maris Zemgalietis/iStock/Getty Images)

Blueberries contain anthocyanins, which are polyphonic compounds that have antioxidant properites. The laboratory study at UCLA classified blueberry juice as the third best antioxidant fruit juice. Clinical research led by Robert Krikorian, of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, studied the effects of daily consumption of wild blueberry juice on the memory of aging adults. The study sampled nine adults who showed early memory changes. At the end of the 12-week study, the subjects showed improvement in paired-associate learning and word recall test. The findings of this study were published in the January 2010 issue of the "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry."