Did you know that nearly 80% of Americans do not get the recommended servings of fruit in their diet? One hundred percent fruit juice can be the perfect supplement to help reach fruit goals. Recent peer-reviewed research proves the impact fruit juice can have on health and nutrition.
Let’s look at the studies:
Kids who drink juice have better quality diets and nutrient intakes
Study: Int. J. Child Health Nutr., May 2015
- Children age 2-18 years who consumed 100% juice had higher intakes of vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium and overall higher diet quality than non-juice drinkers in a review of 2007-2010 NHANES data.
- Juice drinkers also had lower intakes of total fat, saturated fat, sodium and added sugar and consumed significantly more whole fruit than non-consumers; no difference was found in total fiber intake.
One hundred percent fruit juice is not associated with weight gain in children
Study: Crit. Rev. Food Sci. & Nutr., June 2015 (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics systematic review of data from 1995-2013)
- An independent, in-depth, systematic review found that drinking 100% juice was not associated with weight status or adiposity in children.
- Children consuming 100% juice had higher intake and adequacy of dietary fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.
Drinking juice is not connected to dental caries in children
Studies: J of the Amer. Dental Assoc., Dec 2014
Community Dentistry Oral Epidemiol., Aug 2015
- No association was found between drinking 100% juice and early dental caries in nearly 2,300 American children ages 1-5 years.
- Moreover, juice may have a protective effect. The greater the frequency in consumption of 100% juice, the lower the incidence of dental caries in this study of nearly 100 children ages 3-22 months.
In 2015, research on consumption levels of juice as well as the nutritional comparison of juice to whole fruit has also been published. Some key takeaways include:
Americans are not overconsuming juice; juice helps them reach fruit serving goals
Studies: 2015 DGAC Scientific Report, Feb 2015
- The average Americans eats a combination of fruit and juice; consumption patterns show an intake of two parts whole fruit to one part juice. This shows
juice does not displace fruit in the diet.
- For people who do not eat fruit, 100% juice makes up the shortfall and is particularly important for the economically disadvantaged and certain minority populations.
Only slight nutritional differences are found when comparing fruit and juice
Study: Current Nutr & Food Sci., Oct 2015
- When 100% juice was replaced with whole fruit in the diet of children, no difference was found in caloric levels or in the intake of 85% of the nutrients evaluated (17 out of 20 nutrients).
- Of the three nutrients affected when fruit juice was replaced with whole fruit, vitamin C intake was significantly lower, fiber increased slightly, by one gram, and total sugar decreased by a small amount – 6 grams or 24 kcalories.
If you are looking for additional science-backed information about juice, the Juice Products Association (JPA) is happy to be a resource.
