100% juice may contribute to weight gain
January 25, 2024 — A large daily glass of 100% fruit juice may contribute to weight gain in children and adults, according to a new study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers and colleagues.
For the meta-analysis, published January 16, 2024, in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers looked at 42 studies: 17 of children and 25 of adults. They found that among children, each additional daily serving of 100% fruit juice was associated with a 0.03 higher body mass index (BMI), and among adults, a 0.02 change.
The researchers noted in a January 16 CNN article that a standard serving of juice is four ounces, but many people drink much more than that. Drinking large amounts of fruit juice can be unhealthy because it is metabolized differently than whole fruit, which contains fiber.
“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,” study co-author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition, said in the article.
Read the CNN article: Weight gain in children and adults linked to 100% fruit juice, study says
