KEY POINTS:
Contrary to popular belief, drinking pure 100 per cent fruit juice does not make young children overweight or at risk of becoming overweight, new research shows.
Pure fruit juice provides essential nutrients and, in moderation, may actually help children maintain a healthy weight.
Inconsistent research findings have led to continued debate over the potential associations between drinking 100 per cent fruit juice, nutrient intake, and obesity in children.
In the study, researchers in Houston analysed the juice consumption of 3618 children aged from 2 to 11 using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
"The bottom line is that 100 per cent juice consumption is a valuable contributor of nutrients in children's diet and it does not have an association with being overweight," said study chief Dr Theresa Nicklas, a child nutrition specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
She presented the new data at the Paediatric Academic Societies' annual convention in Toronto.
Dr Nicklas and her colleagues also found that children who drank any amount of 100 per cent juice ate less total fat, saturated fat, sodium, added sugars and added fats. Pure juice drinkers also had higher intakes of a number of key nutrients including vitamins and iron.
She said parents who were concerned about child obesity should look beyond juice consumption.
- REUTERS
