However, participants who included fruit juice or a smoothie also reported lower depression scores. The peer-reviewed findings were published in the British Journal of Nutrition and funded by the Fruit Juice Science Centre. Participants who consumed fruit juice and smoothies alongside whole fruit had lower depression scores than the control group. Despite concerns about the sugar content of fruit juice, researchers found no adverse effects on metabolic health markers after four weeks among those who consumed fruit juice or smoothies as part of the intervention. "The finding that fruit juice drinkers had reduced depression scores is promising and worthy of further exploration, particularly in individuals experiencing poor mental well-being.