Kids Can Drink Juice Without Weight Gain

There’s been a backlash against juice over the last couple of years. Why? Well, juice has as many calories per ounce as soda. And those calories come from fructose – the natural sugar that gives fruit all of its calories. Juice became a victim of the unfounded hysteria over sugar and fructose. I’ve heard people say “juice is bad for you”. Many people have told me they’ve given up juice and just eat whole fruit. That’s not a bad idea – because whole fruit does have way more fiber in it than juice. But do you have to completely eliminate juice from your diet? Especially if you like it? I’ve always told people that drinking juice is fine – and now I have some research to back it up!

Some health experts have been telling parents not to give their kids juice because it can lead to obesity. Now of course, making a blanket statement like that without any attention to how much juice is pretty ridiculous. This week, an analysis of juice studies published in the journal Pediatrics shows that juice in moderation is not associated with weight gain in children. The researchers analyzed data from eight studies for a total of 34,470 boys and girls under 18. They found only a slight associated increase in BMI (body mass index) in children age 1 to 6 who drank 6 to 8 ounces of 100% fruit juice a day. This slight increase did not put children at risk for obesity. In children and adolescents age 7 to 18, there was no link at all between fruit juice and weight gain. 

So, here are some guidelines for drinking juice:

• Look for 100% fruit juice

• Don’t drink juice to quench thirst

• Limit juice to 8 ounces a day for children particularly

• Eat whole fruit for most of your daily fruit servings

• Mix juice with mineral water

100% fruit juice is high in vitamins like vitamin C and folate and also high in potassium – a mineral that helps keep blood pressure low. Some people with diabetes notice that some fruit juices raise their blood sugar, so they may need to limit juices. That makes sense. Otherwise, some juice every day can be good for you! For people who like juice, I recommend drinking a cup a day to count as one of your daily fruits and then eating whole fruit for the rest of your servings! 

Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN
Assistant Professor, Nutrition Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Auerbach BJ, Wolf FM, Hikida A, et al. Fruit Juice and Change in BMI: A Meta-analysis Pediatrics. 2017;139(4):e20162454