> The next time you tuck into a protein rich dinner, it may be a good idea to hold off on the sugary drinks. For 300,000 of human existence except the past few decades, humans drank no sugar-sweetened drinks. It is always a good idea to hold off on sugary drinks.
Humans have been drinking fruit juices for a very long time...where do you think wine originated from?
Wine, hard ciders, etc. were popular for the very reason that the actual fruit juices weren't. The lack of refrigeration and with no knowledge of pasteurization fruit juices were likely only consumed a few days a year when the fruits were ripening. Cellar preserved fruits likely wouldn't produce good juice either.
So the juices were preserved by fermenting the glucose (and much of the fructose), or making preserves, etc.