100% Juice May Not Boost Kids' Weight

Drinking 100% juice may not make children more likely to be
overweight, a new study shows.

The study was presented today in Toronto at the Pediatric Academic
Societies' annual meeting.

The researchers included Theresa Nicklas, DrPH, LN, professor of pediatrics
at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

They reviewed data from a national health survey conducted from 1999 to
2002. The study included the parents of about 3,600 children aged 2-11.

The parents detailed everything their children ate and drank during the
previous 24 hours. The children's height and weight were also recorded.

The kids drank about 4 ounces of 100% juice, on average, during the previous
day. That accounts for about 3% of their daily calories.

Children's 100% juice intake wasn't linked to their odds of being
overweight, according to the study.

"Even among the children who consumed the most juice, we found no
association at all with the children being overweight or at risk for
overweight," Nicklas says in a Baylor news release.

Children who drank 100% juice ate more whole fruit, consumed more of several
vitamins and minerals, and consumed less salt, fat, and added sugars than
children who didn't drink 100% juice.

Weight boils down to calories consumed and calories burned. The study
doesn't show whether children drinking 100% juice were more active than those
who didn't drink 100% juice, or whether kids' juice-drinking habits varied from
day to day.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Juice
Products Association.

By Miranda Hitti
Reviewed by Louise Chang
B)2005-2006 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved