Weight gain in children and adults linked to 100% fruit juice, study says

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

Updated 8:30 PM EST, Tue January 16, 2024

Drinking a glass or more of 100% fruit juice each day was linked to a small increase in weight in children and adults, according to a new analysis of prior studies.

“One fundamental problem with juice is quantity; consuming fruit this way makes it so easy to overdose,” said coauthor and leading nutrition researcher Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“For example, how often do we eat three oranges? Yet, a glass of OJ is about three oranges that can be consumed in a minute or two, and we can go back and have another, and that will add many calories and lead to a spike in blood glucose,” Willett said in an email.

Over time, too much sugar in the blood can lead to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic conditions, experts say.

While the study’s conclusions drawn did not show a direct causation, only an association, the findings were “quite valid and match what we see clinically,” said pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Tamara Hannon, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on nutrition, who was not involved with the research.

Due to concerns over the rising rate of childhood obesity and dental cavities, the AAP advises parents and guardians to avoid juice entirely for babies younger than 1 year old, limit intake to 4 ounces a day for children ages 1 to 3 years old and only 6 ounces a day for children ages 4 to 6 years old.

“There’s really no health reason to have juice instead of whole fruits and vegetables unless your child cannot tolerate eating regular food,” said Hannon, director of the pediatric diabetes program at Riley Hospital for Children and professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

One hundred percent fruit or vegetable juice should not be consumed as a daily serving for nutritional health

Teens and adults should drink no more than 8 ounces a day of 100% juice, according to national nutritional guidelines, and juice should not be seen as a healthy way to quench thirst.

“General guidance is against ‘routine’ intake — in other words, relying on juice rather than water for thirst, or consuming juice specifically for health benefits,” said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine who founded the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine. He was not involved in the study.

“It’s not for daily health — it’s an occasional sweet treat. In such a context, fruit juice is a much better choice than soda, for many reasons,” said Katz in an email.

Weight gain in children and adults linked to 100% fruit juice, study says

研究称，儿童和成人的体重增加与100%果汁有关

Drinking a glass or more of 100% fruit juice each day was linked to a small increase in weight in children and adults, according to a new analysis of prior studies.

根据一项对之前研究的新的分析，每天喝一杯或以上的100%果汁和儿童与成年人的体重小幅上涨相关。

“One fundamental problem with juice is quantity; consuming fruit this way makes it so easy to overdose,” said coauthor and leading nutrition researcher Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“果汁的一个根本问题是量，这种方式食用水果很容易过量”，合著者兼首席营养研究员、哈佛大学Chan公共卫生学院流行病学和营养学教授、波士顿哈佛医学院医学教授Walter Willett博士说道。

“For example, how often do we eat three oranges? Yet, a glass of OJ is about three oranges that can be consumed in a minute or two, and we can go back and have another, and that will add many calories and lead to a spike in blood glucose,” Willett said in an email.

“例如，我们要多久才会吃三个橙子？但是，一杯橙汁大约有三个橙子，我们会在一两分钟内喝完，然后我们还可以回去再喝一杯，这会增加很多热量，导致血糖飙升”，Willett在邮件中说道。

Over time, too much sugar in the blood can lead to insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic conditions, experts say.

长期这样，血糖过多会导致胰岛素抗性、代谢综合征、糖尿病、心脏病、肥胖和其他慢性疾病，专家说道。

While the study’s conclusions drawn did not show a direct causation, only an association, the findings were “quite valid and match what we see clinically,” said pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Tamara Hannon, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ committee on nutrition, who was not involved with the research.

虽然这项研究的结论没有显示直接的因果关系，只是一种关联，但这些发现“非常有效，与我们在临床上看到的相符”，美国儿科学会营养委员会成员、儿科内分泌学家Tamara Hannon博士说道，他没有参与这项研究。

Due to concerns over the rising rate of childhood obesity and dental cavities, the AAP advises parents and guardians to avoid juice entirely for babies younger than 1 year old, limit intake to 4 ounces a day for children ages 1 to 3 years old and only 6 ounces a day for children ages 4 to 6 years old.

出于对儿童肥胖率和蛀牙率上升的担忧，AAP建议父母和监护人不要给小于1岁的婴儿和喝果汁，1到3岁的婴儿每天喝果汁限制在4盎司，4到6岁的儿童每天果汁量限制在6盎司。

“There’s really no health reason to have juice instead of whole fruits and vegetables unless your child cannot tolerate eating regular food,” said Hannon, director of the pediatric diabetes program at Riley Hospital for Children and professor of medical and molecular genetics at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.

“没有任何健康的理由用喝果汁来代替吃水果喝蔬菜，除非你的孩子没法接受吃常规的食物”，Riley儿童医院儿科糖尿病项目主任、Indian apolis印第安纳大学医学院医学和分子遗传学教授Hannon说。

Teens and adults should drink no more than 8 ounces a day of 100% juice, according to national nutritional guidelines, and juice should not be seen as a healthy way to quench thirst.

根据国家营养指南，青少年喝成年人每天100%果汁饮用量不应该超过8盎司，果汁不应该被视为一种健康的止渴方式。

“General guidance is against ‘routine’ intake — in other words, relying on juice rather than water for thirst, or consuming juice specifically for health benefits,” said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine who founded the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine. He was not involved in the study.

“一般的指南是指反对‘常规’摄入——也就是说，依赖果汁而不是水来解渴，或者专门为了健康而饮用果汁”，预防和生活方式医学专家David Katz博士说道，他创立了非营利组织“真正健康倡议”，这是一个致力于基于证据的生活医学全球专家联盟。他没有参与这项研究。

“It’s not for daily health — it’s an occasional sweet treat. In such a context, fruit juice is a much better choice than soda, for many reasons,” said Katz in an email.

“这不是为了日常健康，而是属于偶尔的甜食。在这种情况下，果汁比苏打水要好得多，原因有很多”，Katz在邮件中说道。