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Increasing BMI in Kids Tied to 100% Fruit Juice Consumption
MEDPAGE TODAY ^ | January 16, 2024 | Jennifer Henderson

Posted on 01/17/2024 9:58:04 AM PST by nickcarraway

— Findings support guidance limiting such beverages in young children, researcher says

Daily consumption of 100% fruit juice was associated with a small increase in body mass index (BMI) in children, while an association between consumption and weight gain among adults appeared mixed, a systematic review and meta-analysis found.

In prospective cohort studies involving kids, each 8-oz serving of 100% fruit juice was associated with a 0.03 increase in BMI (95% CI 0.01-0.05), a link that appeared to be driven by younger children, reported Vasanti Malik, MSc, ScD, of the University of Toronto, and colleagues.

Cohort studies in adults found no significant association between each serving of 100% fruit juice and increased weight (0.07 kg, 95% CI -0.06 to 0.20), however. Furthermore, randomized clinical trials (RCTs) in adults found no association, with a mean difference of -0.53 kg (95% CI -1.55 to 0.48) for individuals assigned to drink juice versus controls, the researchers detailed in JAMA Pediatricsopens in a new tab or window.

The findings "support public health guidance to limit the consumption of 100% fruit juice, especially for young children," said co-author Michelle Nguyen, HBSc, also of the University of Toronto, adding that whole fruit rather than fruit juices should be recommended, with water as the drink of choice.

"Whether 100% fruit juice is a healthy beverage is a question of great interest from clinicians, the general public, parents and caregivers, and policymakers," Nguyen told MedPage Today in an email. "The evidence on 100% fruit juice and weight gain has yielded mixed findings from both observational studies (prospective cohort studies) and clinical trials. Our findings indicate that 100% fruit juice consumption was associated with weight gain in children, with younger children showing greater weight gain."

No RCTs addressing this question have been conducted in kids, but subgroup analyses of the cohort studies showed the association to be driven by kids age 10 and younger (BMI increase of 0.15, 95% CI 0.05-0.24), with no association in those age 11 and older (-0.001, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.01).

The findings in children are in line with American Academy of Pediatrics guidelinesopens in a new tab or window that suggest children younger than 6 years of age consume less than one glass of fruit juice per day, Malik and colleagues noted.

"Concerns have been raised that the early age of fruit juice introduction may lead to an increased risk for overweight and obesity in later childhood due to increased preference for sweet foods," they wrote. "Thus, delaying the introduction of 100% fruit juice in young children, moderating serving sizes, and favoring whole fruit is recommended. Although the effect sizes are modest, small gains in BMI over time may substantiate over the life course; therefore, limiting intake of fruit juice among children is an important strategy for them to develop healthy weight trajectories."

In adults, cohort studies that did not adjust for total energy intake showed a positive association between 100% fruit juice and increasing body weight (0.21 kg, 95% CI 0.15-0.27 kg), whereas studies that adjusted for energy intake found an inverse association (-0.08 kg, 95% CI -0.11 to -0.05).

This suggests that "excess calories play a role in this association," Nguyen said.

Significant associations between juice consumption and weight gain among adults also appeared dependent on study location:

North America: 0.14 kg (95% CI 0.02-0.26) Europe: -0.15 kg (95% CI -0.37 to 0.08) For their systematic review and meta-analysis, the researchers searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases for studies through May 18, 2023. Prospective cohort studies of at least 6 months and RCTs of at least 2 weeks that assessed the association of 100% fruit juice with body weight change in children and adults were included.

The final review included 45,851 children (median age 8 years) from 17 prospective cohort studies along with 268,095 adults (median age 42) from six prospective cohort studies and 19 RCTs.

Most of the cohort studies in children were conducted in North America, and the median study duration was 4 years. Cohort studies in adults were conducted in North America or Europe, with a median duration of 3 years.

The majority of RCTs in adults were conducted in Europe or Asia, with a median duration of 6 weeks. All studies were feeding trials, with participants provided 100% fruit juice in the form of pomegranate, berries, tart cherry, apple, citrus, or grape juice.

Limitations included the lack of RCTs in children, and that only five of the 17 cohorts in children and five of the six cohorts in adults used a change-versus-change analysis. "This would be the optimal analysis to assess longitudinal changes in 100% fruit juice intake and concomitant body weight change," the researchers wrote.

Jennifer Henderson joined MedPage Today as an enterprise and investigative writer in Jan. 2021. She has covered the healthcare industry in NYC, life sciences and the business of law, among other areas.


TOPICS: Food; Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: tcoyh
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1 posted on 01/17/2024 9:58:04 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: ConservativeMind

Ping


2 posted on 01/17/2024 9:58:24 AM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Fruit juice is just as bad as Coke.


3 posted on 01/17/2024 9:58:28 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: nickcarraway
Water. It does a body good.
4 posted on 01/17/2024 9:59:21 AM PST by Harmless Teddy Bear ( In a quaint alleyway, they graciously signaled for a vehicle on the main road to lead the way. )
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To: nickcarraway

Due to all that processed sugar, the BSL (Blood Sugar Level) is probably thru the ceiling, too.


5 posted on 01/17/2024 10:01:37 AM PST by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
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To: dfwgator

Fruit juice is just as bad as Coke.

~~~

If it’s real fruit juice, then it’s better for you than Coke, because it should have more nutrients, which is why it’s a fad with suburban moms, but in terms of the obesity epidemic, calories are calories and sugar is sugar and insulin spikes are insulin spikes. Doesn’t matter where it comes from.


6 posted on 01/17/2024 10:02:18 AM PST by z3n (Kakistocracy)
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To: nickcarraway

Kids not playing outside, all the time, whenever possible, and instead sitting on the couch with a TV, computer, phone, game console, etc, has nothing to do with obesity.


7 posted on 01/17/2024 10:02:20 AM PST by rigelkentaurus
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To: z3n

Just eat the real fruit, instead.


8 posted on 01/17/2024 10:03:49 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Mazey; ckilmer; goodnesswins; Jane Long; BusterDog; jy8z; ProtectOurFreedom; matthew fuller; ...
Thanks to nickcarraway!

The “Take Charge Of Your Health” Ping List

This high volume ping list is for health articles and studies which describe something you or your doctor, when informed, may be able to immediately implement for your benefit.

Email me to get on either the “Common/Top Issues” (20 - 25% fewer pings) or “Everything” list.

9 posted on 01/17/2024 10:04:30 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: nickcarraway

Lots of fruit - good time for apes to reproduce and gain body weight to nurse baby apes.


10 posted on 01/17/2024 10:05:22 AM PST by Brian Griffin
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To: nickcarraway

Wait. You mean Fruit Juice is high in Sugar and it’s unhealthy?


11 posted on 01/17/2024 10:08:30 AM PST by Responsibility2nd (A truth that’s told with bad intent, Beats all the lies you can invent ~ Wm. Blake)
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To: nickcarraway

A whole fruit/pieces of fruit are better than fruit juices. Fruit juices by their creation concentrate the amount of sugar per ounce, compared to whole fruit.


12 posted on 01/17/2024 10:08:34 AM PST by Wuli
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To: nickcarraway

I rarely even drink orange juice anymore - too much sugar


13 posted on 01/17/2024 10:10:27 AM PST by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
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To: Wuli

There’s a book I read that totally changed the way I thought about food, called “Don’t Eat For Winter”....

Our bodies evolved over millions of years to work in perfect balance with the foods produced seasonally by nature. However, this equilibrium has recently been unhinged as a result of our ingenious ability to farm, store, preserve and transport food. Nowadays, seasonal foods are available all year round, and because the natural feast/famine cycle that nature enforced on us has been broken, many people are perpetually gaining weight. To combat this, they end up going on restrictive, torturous diet and exercise regimes to simulate periods of shortage and hardship in order to battle the bulge. In many cases, this ends up in frustration and a rebound occurs where the person ends up back where they started, or worse.

What many fail to realise is that carbs stimulate responses in the brain and body conducive to weight gain. Our primal gorge instincts and reward centres are invoked through the release of dopamine, causing addiction like behaviour, and our cells open up and go into storage mode to receive nutrients (including fat) through insulin response. Other effects, such as lethargy can also be induced, including the post-lunch dip, also promoting fat storage through decreased activity.

Cian Foley, author of Don’t Eat for Winter, argues the case that carbs are the trigger for autumn fat storage. “In countries with pronounced seasons, carbs typically only exist in late summer and autumn. It stands to reason that these high sugar/starch foods trigger primal processes in our brains/bodies that promote fat storage in order to help us survive the shortages and cold of winter. After graphing an array of natural foods by their optimal harvest month, I noticed a huge spike in high gi/gl foods occurring in Autumn time. Stone-age people would have used this food, along with the staples (protein and fat) to store excess energy and nutrients in order to survive the oncoming season: Winter; just like other animals that work symbiotically with their natural ecosystems.”

We are now living in an infinite autumn, with all of natures autumnal produce available at all times, and typically societies across the globe eat them with every single meal. This means we are constantly eating foods that are preparing our bodies for a phantom winter. So the simple message of the book is this: Don’t Eat for Winter through moderating foods with the autumnal macro-nutrient signature (the Squirrel Formula) and see what happens.


14 posted on 01/17/2024 10:11:51 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: dfwgator

Correct


15 posted on 01/17/2024 10:12:23 AM PST by DariusBane (Liberty and Risk. Flip sides of the same coin. So how much risk will YOU accept? Vive Deo et Vives)
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To: nickcarraway

Fruit Juice is some of the highest concentrations of sugars and calories you can find... nothing suprising about that. Juices have about 50% more sugars and calories per ounce than most sodas.


16 posted on 01/17/2024 10:13:22 AM PST by HamiltonJay
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To: nickcarraway

Garbage article IMO.

If there is a component of fruit juice that triggers weight gain independent of overall caloric intake, then that is one thing, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here because they’re talking about calories in juice as part of individuals diet.

If fruit juice pushes caloric intake over a certain level, an individual will gain weight. However, in that case you could pick any component of the individuals diet and blame the weight gain on that item for pushing total calories over a certain level.


17 posted on 01/17/2024 10:14:39 AM PST by Roadrunner383 (m)
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To: Wuli
A whole fruit/pieces of fruit are better than fruit juices. Fruit juices by their creation concentrate the amount of sugar per ounce, compared to whole fruit.

The fiber is lacking in juice as well.

18 posted on 01/17/2024 10:15:18 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

That’s true.


19 posted on 01/17/2024 10:16:01 AM PST by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)
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To: nickcarraway

Water contains PFAS (nano-particles of plastic) that cause health issues over time. 100% fruit juice should show a reduced amount of PFAS, unless it is in the trees and crops as well.


20 posted on 01/17/2024 10:16:14 AM PST by RideForever (Damn, another dangling par .....)
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