Drinking 100% fruit juice linked to weight gain in children, adults: study

Drinking a glass of 100 per cent fruit juice every day is linked to weight gain in both children and adults, a new study suggests.

Drinking a daily glass of 100 per cent fruit juice – a staple drink for many kids – is linked to weight gain in both children and adults, a new study suggests.

The peer-reviewed research published in the JAMA Pediatrics journal Tuesday found that each additional serving of eight ounces of fruit juice with no added sugar per day was associated with a 0.03 increase in BMI, or body mass index, among kids.

Children younger than 11 years old showed a greater BMI gain than older children, the study said.

Researchers at the University of Toronto and Harvard Medical School looked at 42 different studies – 17 involving children and 25 with adults.

Overall, they didn’t find a strong link between weight gain and fruit juice consumption for adults due to differences in how calories were measured. But some studies that did not account for the intake of calories showed a weight gain of 0.21 kilograms in adults.

“Hundred per cent fruit juices is, of course, a healthier alternative to a fruit drink or a sugar-sweetened beverage, like a soda, but the issue with these 100 per cent fruit juices is they contain little or no fibre compared to your whole fruit form,” said Michelle Nguyen, lead study author and a PhD candidate in the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Toronto.

Overconsumption is the main concern here, said Nguyen. For instance, a typical glass of orange juice will contain about three oranges and two glasses would contain six oranges – something one would be less likely to eat in one sitting.

“These beverages can very well be easily over-consumed, leading to both an excess of calories as well as an excess of sugar,” Nguyen said in an interview with Global Wednesday.