Confusion Reigns Regarding Role of 100% Juice in Healthy Pediatric Diet

Pediatrics Study Widely Misconstrued, Creating "A Lost Opportunity To Educate Consumers on Healthful Eating" According to Prominent Pediatrician

Concord, Mass.,, February 15, 2005

Many experts agree that 100% fruit juice, consumed in moderation, can play a valuable role in the healthy pediatric diet. Yet a study published in the February 2005 issue of Pediatrics, which draws a connection between preschooler obesity and “sweet drink” consumption, has been widely misconstrued as being critical of 100% juice. And that, says a leading pediatrician, means we have lost an important opportunity to educate consumers in an area already fraught with confusion.

“With 100% fruit juice only, the study found no connection to obesity among children at or near normal body weight. In fact, 100% juice, when consumed in moderation, can be an excellent part of most children’s diets,” explains Fima Lifshitz, M.D., Senior Nutrition Scientist, Sansum Research Institute, Santa Barbara, Calif., and former Chief of Staff, Miami Children’s Hospital. “100% juices do not contain added sugars and should not be lumped into the same category as sweetened beverages. The study looked at several types of beverages, not only 100% juice, and that may have contributed to the confusion. It is too simplistic to boil everything down to solely a calorie comparison. The health and medical community needs to educate consumers that when we make food choices we need to consider the amount of calories we are consuming in a given food in relation to the benefits we may derive from that food.”

Dr. Lifshitz goes on to cite several of the benefits 100% fruit juice offers to children: “100% juices contribute ready energy from carbohydrates while also providing an important source of micronutrients and phytonutrients. Vitamin C in fruit juice assists in the absorption of iron, which is critical for health. Some juices are also abundant sources of phytonutrients, natural plant compounds that act not only as potent antioxidants but which are being actively studied for their potential to contribute a wide range of health benefits. Finally, a serving of 100% juice can help children achieve the recommended daily servings of colorful fruits and vegetables.

Maintaining overall health and a healthy weight is largely a function of regular physical activity and the proper consumption of all foods,” explains JoLynne Wightman, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Health and Nutrition, Welch Foods, Inc. “The government’s new dietary guidelines stress the importance of both, as well as the balance of calorie intake with calorie expenditure. The guidelines further stress the importance of a diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables (2 ½ - 6 ½ cups per day). 100% juice, which does not contain added sugar but which does, of course, contain calories, is a healthy and convenient way to help achieve those recommended 5-13 daily fruit and vegetable servings.

"Grape juice has been singled out in much of the discussion of the study’s implications without acknowledging its considerable nutritional benefits,” Wightman adds. “100% Grape Juice, made from Concord grapes specifically, not only provides Vitamin C but an abundance of phytonutrients as well. Numerous clinical studies have shown significant cardiovascular benefits from drinking Concord grape juice, such as more flexible arteries, slowing oxidation of LDL cholesterol, and inhibiting platelet clot formation. Juice from Concord grapes was also found by the USDA to have higher levels of one important class of phytonutrients per serving than any beverage they tested. It provides a significant source of dietary antioxidants—delivering more than 2 times the natural antioxidant power of orange juice—and certainly contributes to one’s need for colorful (purple/blue category) fruit servings. 100% White Grape Juice made with Niagara grapes, also provides a source of dietary antioxidants – in fact it has more natural antioxidant power than other clear juices, like apple juice. A serving of 100% juice from both Concord and Niagara grapes provides a full day’s supply of vitamin C.

The study did find that for children who were already significantly overweight (BMI ³95th percentile), there was a slight connection, termed by the authors to be “of only borderline significance,” between 100% juice consumption and the risk of remaining obese. The study did show a significant relationship between the consumption of fruit drinks and sodas and obesity among those who were already overweight.

“As health professionals,” Lifshitz concludes, “we must encourage the proper consumption of all foods nature provides in moderation. Regarding the intake of 100% juice, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that children ages 6 months to 6 years consume no more than 4-6 ounces of 100% juice a day, and must be accompanied by whole fruits and vegetables in the diet as well. While this amount may be somewhat low for older children, it does underscore the idea that moderation is important. An excellent guideline is that 100% fruit juice should be considered for satisfying only one of the recommended daily servings of fruit for young children—about a half a cup-- and no more than two daily servings of fruit for those over six years of age. Drinking water should be encouraged to quench thirst. If parents have questions they should, of course, consult with their own pediatrician.”

Editor’s Notes:

Dr.Lifshitz has conducted extensive research on the effects of juice intake in children for more than 12 years. Some of his research has been supported by Welch’s.

The following studies also address the issue of juice intake and growth:
Fruit Juice Intake Is Not Related to Children's Growth. Skinner et al. Pediatrics. 1 January 1999, pp. 58-64

A Longitudinal Study of Children's Juice Intake and Growth: The Juice Controversy Revisited. Skinner JD, Carruth BR. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001 Sep;101(9):996.

Sugar-sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Young and Middle-Aged Women. Schulze et al, JAMA. 2004; 292: 927-934

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