Passion fruit juice: a vitamin C juice known mostly by proxy

Across 15 randomized trials in 1,381 women and children, adding vitamin C rich fruits or juices to meals raised serum ferritin by 9.39 ug/L, with moderate certainty, and hemoglobin by 1.34 g/L, yet none of those trials named passion fruit juice. Measured iron absorption, tested in only 3 of the studies, did not change significantly. That is the pattern for this page. Passion fruit juice has almost no research of its own, so most of what follows comes from studies of fruit juice in general. Its vitamin C depends on the fruit. USDA lists 29.8 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) for purple passion fruit juice and 18.2 mg for yellow, and the UK table gives 21 mg, each from a single record with no measured spread. US dietary surveys count an unspecified glass as 248 g. The one trial we found that used passion fruit juice gave 43 adults with high blood lipids a jelly drink of roselle extract plus 0.37 percent freeze-dried passion fruit juice and pulp for 8 weeks. Their LDL cholesterol fell from 128.4 to 107.6 mg/dL compared with their own starting level, a figure that is not a comparison with the placebo group, and roselle polyphenols probably account for much of it.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

As people eat it, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Vitamin C in passion fruit juice differs by about 30% between tables, 29.8 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) in the USDA purple juice record and 21 mg in the UK CoFID record, with 18.2 mg in the USDA yellow juice record. — — (n = 2 USDA records, 1 CoFID record) Evidence E source
  Vitamin C 18.2 to 29.8 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g) (USDA) against 21 mg (CoFID), riboflavin 0.101 to 0.131 mg against 0.07 mg, niacin 1.46 to 2.24 mg against 0.7 mg

What a real portion looks like

• In US dietary surveys an unspecified glass of passion fruit juice counts as 248 g, and 1 fl oz counts as 31 g without ice. — — (n = 4 household measures) Evidence E source
  Quantity not specified = 248 g, 1 fl oz (no ice) = 31 g, 1 fl oz (with ice) = 23 g

What your body absorbs

• Across 15 randomized trials in 1,381 women and children, adding vitamin C rich fruits or juices to meals raised serum ferritin by 9.39 ug/L and hemoglobin by 1.34 g/L but did not significantly change measured iron absorption. — females aged 15-74 years and children in 15 RCTs, 806 intervention and 575 control participants (n = 1,381) Evidence A source
  Serum ferritin MD 9.39 ug/L (7 trials, P < 0.001, moderate certainty), hemoglobin MD 1.34 g/L (12 trials, P = 0.01), iron absorption MD 3.36% (3 studies, P = 0.07, low certainty)

What cooking and storage change

• No nutrient retention data exist for passion fruit juice in the USDA retention table, and the PubMed corpus holds no study on how processing or storage changes this juice. — — (n = 0 records) Evidence E source
  No retention factor, no processing study

What it does to your health

• An updated meta-analysis of randomized trials and prospective studies found that 100% fruit juice did not change glucose metabolism markers, lowered uric acid compared with the comparator, and had a neutral association with gestational diabetes. — randomized controlled trials and prospective studies of 100% fruit juice intake in adults, including 3 studies on gestational diabetes Evidence A source
  No difference in glucose metabolism, lower uric acid with 100% fruit juice, neutral for gestational diabetes and type 2 diabetes, effect sizes not given in the abstract
• In an 8-week randomized placebo-controlled trial in 43 adults with dyslipidemia, a jelly drink with roselle extract and passion fruit juice lowered LDL cholesterol from 128.4 to 107.6 mg/dL against baseline. — 43 adults with dyslipidemia randomly assigned to the roselle and passion fruit jelly drink or a placebo jelly drink for 8 weeks (n = 43) Evidence B source
  LDL-C 128.43 to 107.63 mg/dL and TG 132.33 to 109.79 mg/dL within the active group, no significant change in glucose or total cholesterol
• A systematic review of meta-analyses found no conclusive evidence of harm from 100% fruit juice apart from more tooth decay in children and small weight gain in young children and adults. — children and adults in systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cardiometabolic outcomes, liver disease and caries Evidence C source
  Increased tooth decay in children, small weight gain in young children and adults, no conclusive evidence of other adverse effects

Safety, limits and interactions

• A meta-analysis of 51 human studies found that grapefruit juice cut blood levels of aliskiren and celiprolol by about 80-90%, and apple and orange juice had comparable effects on some blood pressure drugs. — 51 human pharmacokinetic studies, mostly open-label crossover trials, of fruit juice taken with antihypertensive drugs (n = 51 studies) Evidence A source
  AUC and Cmax of aliskiren and celiprolol reduced by approximately 80-90% with grapefruit juice
• In a randomized crossover trial in 10 healthy adults, 1.3 quarts (1.2 L) of grapefruit, orange or apple juice over 3 hours cut the blood exposure of the allergy drug fexofenadine to 30-40% of that with water. — 10 healthy subjects, 120 mg fexofenadine with water or 1.3 quarts (1.2 L) juice over 3 hours, 5-way crossover (n = 10) Evidence B source
  Fexofenadine AUC, Cmax and urinary excretion reduced to 30-40% of water values
• The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that the high sugar content of juice adds calories and raises the risk of dental caries in children, and its lack of protein and fiber can lead to inappropriate weight gain. — infants, children and adolescents Evidence E source
  Position statement, no effect size

What people believe that the data does not support

• The EU refused an antioxidant claim for berry and fruit juices, and none of the 17 fruit juice claims in the EU register is authorized. — — (n = 17 claims, 0 authorized) Evidence E source
  Claim status non-authorized

What is still unknown

• The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 review found that low to moderate fruit juice intake is not linked with an apparent risk of chronic disease, while the link with weight gain remains unclear. — systematic reviews and meta-analyses on fruit juice and health outcomes Evidence C source
  No apparent chronic disease risk at low to moderate intake, possible protection for cardiovascular disease, unclear for weight gain

The bottom line

For health outcomes the evidence is about 100% fruit juice of any kind. An updated meta-analysis of randomized trials and prospective studies found no change in glucose metabolism markers, lower uric acid than the comparator and a neutral link with gestational diabetes, and its abstract gives no effect sizes. An umbrella review found no conclusive evidence of harm from 100% juice apart from more tooth decay in children and small weight gain in young children and adults. Weight is the unsettled part. The Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 review found low to moderate juice intake not linked with an apparent risk of chronic disease, called the link with weight gain unclear, and judged the evidence on juice limited overall. Both reviews rest mostly on observational studies and give no pooled number, which is why the weight question stays open. The EU has authorized none of the 17 fruit juice health claims in its register, including an antioxidant claim for berry and fruit juices, which means the evidence did not meet the bar at assessment. No claim for passion fruit juice exists in the register at all. We found no data on how pasteurizing or storing this juice changes its vitamin C. Who should be careful. A meta-analysis of 51 human studies found that grapefruit juice cut blood levels of the blood pressure drugs aliskiren and celiprolol by about 80 to 90 percent, and apple and orange juice had comparable effects on some of these drugs. In a crossover trial in 10 healthy adults, 1.3 quarts (1.2 liters) of grapefruit, orange or apple juice over 3 hours cut exposure to the allergy drug fexofenadine to 30 to 40 percent of the level with water, a far larger volume than one glass. Passion fruit juice was tested in neither, so whether it acts the same way is unknown. If you take one of these drugs, check with your pharmacist before taking it with any juice. For children, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that the sugar in juice adds calories and raises the risk of tooth decay, and that its lack of protein and fiber can lead to inappropriate weight gain. We found no study of passion fruit juice itself on allergy, pregnancy or children.

Sources

1. pfj-r7-01 · USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy and CoFID 2021, dataset
   Passion-fruit juice, purple, raw (FDC 169109, SR Legacy, Fruits and Fruit Juices): vitamin C 29.8 mg per 100 g = 33% DV, riboflavin 0.131 mg, niacin 1.46 mg. Passion-fruit juice, yellow, raw (SR Legacy): vitamin C 18.2 mg, riboflavin 0.101 mg, niacin 2.24 mg. CoFID 2021 Passion fruit juice [14-285]: vitamin C 21 mg, riboflavin 0.07 mg, niacin 0.7 mg, total sugars 10.7 g, energy 47 kcal per 100 g.
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC 169109, and CoFID 2021 (Public Health England, OGL v3.0), code 14-285 · checked 2026-10-02
2. pfj-r7-02 · USDA FNDDS, dataset
   Passion fruit juice, 100% (FNDDS, FDC 2709328, food code 64121000, WWEIA Other fruit juice): Quantity not specified = 248 g, 1 fl oz (no ice) = 31 g, 1 fl oz (with ice) = 23 g, 1 fl oz (NFS) = 31 g.
   USDA FNDDS, FDC 2709328, food code 64121000, WWEIA category Other fruit juice · checked 2026-10-02
3. pfj-r7-03 · meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
   After screening 2594 unique records, 15 RCTs (n = 1381; 806 interventions, 575 controls) met inclusion criteria. Including ascorbate-rich fruits in meals had a positive impact on serum ferritin [7 trials, n = 762; mean difference (MD) = 9.39 μg/L; P < 0.001; moderate certainty], hemoglobin (12 trials, n = 1141; MD = 1.34 g/L; P = 0.01; moderate certainty)
   Am J Clin Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-10-02
4. pfj-r7-12 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6, dataset
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors Release 6 (2007) holds no method for passion fruit juice. PubMed corpus search for passion fruit juice with cooking, processing, storage, fermentation or retention returned 0 records (corpus pubmed:469385, 2026-10-02).
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007) · checked 2026-10-02
5. pfj-r7-04 · systematic review and meta-analysis
   In summary, this meta-analysis confirmed that there was no difference between 100%FJ intake and the comparator on glucose metabolism. It also showed that 100%FJ intake resulted in lower levels of uric acid than the comparator. In addition, the analysis indicated a neutral effect of 100%FJ on gestational diabetes.
   J Med Food, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
6. pfj-r7-07 · randomized controlled trial
   Results showed a significant decrease in LDL-C and TG, respectively, after 8 weeks of RP jelly drink consumption (LDL-C: 107.63 ± 22.98 mg/dL; TG: 109.79 ± 38.83 mg/dL) compared to baseline measurements (LDL-C: 128.43 ± 32.74 mg/dL; TG: 132.33 ± 75.11 mg/dL).
   Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2022 · checked 2026-10-02
7. pfj-r7-09 · systematic review
   Aside from increased risk of tooth decay in children and small amounts of weight gain in young children and adults, there is no conclusive evidence that consumption of 100% fruit juice has adverse health effects.
   Adv Nutr, 2018 · checked 2026-10-02
8. pfj-r7-05 · meta-analysis
   Grapefruit juice (GFJ), an inhibitor of organic-anion-transporting polypeptide (OATP) transporters and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4, significantly decreased the AUC and Cmax of aliskiren and celiprolol by approximately 80-90 %...Apple and orange juices have comparable effects on certain medications.
   Complement Ther Med, 2025 · checked 2026-10-02
9. pfj-r7-06 · randomized crossover trial
   Grapefruit, orange, and apple juices decreased the fexofenadine area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC), the peak plasma drug concentration (C(max)), and the urinary excretion values to 30% to 40% of those with water, with no change in the time to reach C(max), elimination half-life, renal clearance, or urine volume in humans.
   Clin Pharmacol Ther, 2002 · checked 2026-10-02
10. pfj-r7-08 · guideline
    High sugar content in juice contributes to increased calorie consumption and the risk of dental caries. In addition, the lack of protein and fiber in juice can predispose to inappropriate weight gain (too much or too little).
    Pediatrics, 2017 · checked 2026-10-02
11. pfj-r7-11 · EU health claims register
    POL-HC-6681 Berries and fruit juices/flavonoids + ascorbic acid Includes (natural) flavonoids and other antioxidants. Berry/fruit juice contains a number of constituents with an antioxidative effect that protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Symbol included in the claim: MarliVital Non-authorised
    EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-6681, snapshot 2026-09-21 · checked 2026-10-02
12. pfj-r7-10 · scoping review
    Current available evidence indicates that low to moderate consumption of fruit juice is not associated with an apparent risk of chronic diseases and may have protective effects on cardiovascular disease. The association between the intake of fruit juice and weight gain remains unclear and might be of concern for some groups of people. Overall, the evidence regarding health effects of fruit juice is limited.
    Food Nutr Res, 2024 · checked 2026-10-02