Debunked: Fruit juices and obesity in children

It’s no longer true: drinking 100% fruit juices is NOT related to obesity in children, so says new research.

It used to be common pediatric advice not to give young children fruit juice because of its high sugar content, and that too much of it can lead to weight problems. It is also filling and can decrease a child’s appetite for other nutritious foods.

Now, a new study found that there “there is no systematic association between consumption of 100% fruit juice and overweight in children or adolescents.” The research recommends drinking 100% fruit juice in moderate amounts, to help children get more fruit into their diet.

But what is moderate amounts of fruit juice in a day? The American Academy of Pediatrics give the following recommendations:

• when you give your child juice, it should be 100% pasteurized fruit juice and not fruit drinks.
• infants under 6 months of age should not be given juice, although many Pediatricians do recommend small amounts of juice for children that are constipated
• younger children aged 1 to 6 years should have only 4 to 6 ounces of juice a day.
• older children should be limited to 8 to 12 ounces of juice a day
• instead of juice, children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits

It’s also important not to have fruit juice always available, I think. Limit it to meals or a snack, and not in a sippy cup that, say a toddler, can carry around. I would also still look at the sugar content since some juice drink brands have lesser sugar than others.

image: sxc