drinking fruit juice in early years can have long term dietary benefits, Study

Drinking 100 percent fresh fruit juice in the early years can lead to healthier dietary patterns without developing overweight, according to a study from Boston University

Children who drank about 1.5 cups of 100 percent fresh fruit juice a day during the preschool years tended to maintain “healthier diets into adolescence than children who drank less than ½ cup per day during preschool, says Dr. Lynn L. Moore in a study published online at BMC Nutrition.

Moore and her team also found, during over 10 years of follow-up, that these children (1-2 cups per day), who consumed more fruit juice in the early years also consumed more whole fruit at the same time and continued to consume more whole fruit into adolescence,” said Dr. Moore.

The study tracked data, from a group 100 children (age 3-6) and followed them for a decade. Whole and total fruit consumption was recommended at each age.

Preschoolers who consumed more fruit juice in the early years of childhood in this study also consumed more whole fruit at the same time and continued to consume more whole fruit into adolescence.

Among the study’s results were the following:

Preschoolers with higher intakes of fresh fruit juice, at list 1 cups per day, had significantly higher intakes of whole fruit diet at 14-17 years of age than children who consumed half or less than that per day.

Preschoolers who drank more fresh fruit juice were nearly 4 times as likely to meet current Dietary Guideline recommendations for whole fruit intake during adolescence than those preschoolers with low intakes.

Those children with higher fruit juice intakes during preschool years had significantly higher diet quality scores than those children with lower juice intakes at all ages.

Fresh fruit consumption was not associated with a change in Body Mass Index (BMI) during childhood and into middle adolescence.