FRUIT JUICE CONSUMPTION BY PRE-TEEN GIRLS HAS LONG-TERM NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS: STUDY

A recent online study in Beverages was published by Dr. Lynn L. Moore, a professor of medicine at Boston University's Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. No matter their race, Moore and her colleagues found that pre-teen girls who drank 100% fruit juice experienced long-term good nutritional benefits without experiencing any negative effects on their weight during adolescence.

In this study, there were some racial differences in fruit consumption; black girls tended to consume 100% juice at a constant rate throughout adolescence despite drops in total fruit and especially whole fruit intakes. Therefore, among teenagers who rarely ate whole fruit, 100% fruit juice played a particularly significant role in their overall fruit intake. In this study, higher intakes of 100% fruit juice during preadolescence were linked to higher intakes of total fruit, whole fruit, and better dietary quality throughout adolescence.

Black and white girls who consumed the most juice (>=1.25 cups per day) also had the lowest BMI values, while nonfruit juice drinkers had the highest BMI values. Girls who drank 1.25 or more cups of 100% fruit juice per day in adolescence had a BMI that was 1.7 kg/m2 lower by the end of adolescence (ages 19–20) than girls who did not drink fruit juice (24.1 kg/m2 vs. 25.8 kg/m2).

As a component of the upcoming National Growth and Health Study of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the study monitored multiple sets of 3-day dietary records as well as height and weight information for more than 2,100 girls over a 10-year period. There were roughly equal numbers of white and black girls. The Healthy Eating Index (HEI) scores were used to gauge the quality of diets and to compare whole and total fruit consumption to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) at each age.

The findings showed that, regardless of race, girls' preadolescent intakes of 100% fruit juice were linked to higher intakes of both whole fruit and total fruit. White and black girls who drank 100% fruit juice during preadolescence were also more than twice as likely to consume enough fruit overall throughout adolescence to meet current Dietary Guidelines recommendations than those who did not.

Fruit juice consumption was not linked to excessive weight gain, and in this study, children who drank the most juice during their adolescence had the lowest Body Mass Index (BMI). This study supports findings from earlier studies that suggest juice consumption during the preteen and teen years may encourage a higher intake of whole fruit and a better-quality diet without having a negative impact on weight.

According to this study, drinking juice may actually promote eating more whole fruit and overall fruit. Even kids who drank more than 1 cup of fruit juice per day had better diet quality and a lower BMI than kids who drank no juice at all, according to Dr. Moore.

Dr. Stephen R. Daniels, co-author and chair of the paediatrics department at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, says that fruit juice can be a useful addition to a healthy diet for adolescents when consumed in moderation. Fruit juice can help people get enough fruit in their diets, which is difficult for many teenagers.