The case in summary
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- Consuming more than 2.4 deciliters of pure fruit juice a day can have a negative effect on weight, a new meta-study shows.
- Researchers recommend limiting fruit juice intake, especially for younger children.
- Although a small glass of juice can be included as one of the recommended daily portions of fruit, vegetables and berries, intake should be limited due to its high energy content and low dietary fiber content.
- A high intake of acidic drinks such as juice can also lead to acid damage to the teeth.
The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by NRK’s journalists before publication.
The conscience might be a little better if you give the children a glass of apple juice instead of a can of soft drink.
Because fruit is healthy, right?
But while fruit juice itself is a healthier choice, it may not be a very good option after all.
For in a new, large meta-study researchers have found that more than 2.4 deciliters of pure fruit juice a day affects our weight negatively. And the problem is greatest among the very smallest.
– Our findings show that you should have guidance to limit your intake of fruit juice. Especially for younger children, says Michelle Nguyen. She is a researcher at the University of Toronto in Canada.
Several experts on the subject point out that as long as your child can chew, you should replace the juice with fruit and vegetables.
Do you or your children drink more than one glass of juice a day?
We drink more than recommended
The new research consists of a review of 42 previous studies on the topic. 17 of these included children, while 25 of them focused on adults.
The results showed that one extra glass of juice per day was associated with an increase in BMI of 0.03 per child. In adults, the difference was not as clear, but some of the studies also found a change in weight in this group.
Although the changes in BMI may seem small and insignificant per person, this is large in a global context, the researchers point out.
The reason is that many of us actually drink a good deal more than just the one recommended glass daily. And then the body mass index also increases significantly.
– A fundamental problem with juice is quantity. Consuming fruit in this way makes it easy to overdo it. A glass of juice quickly consists of three oranges, and we drink these in less than two minutes, explains Dr. Walter Willett CNN. He is one of the researchers behind the new study.
Prefer fruit and vegetables to juice
On Helsenorge’s pages it states, among other things, that a small glass of juice (1 decilitre) can be one of the daily, recommended portions of fruit, vegetables and berries.
But it also says that the drink has a relatively high energy content and can contain far less dietary fiber than when you eat the whole fruit.
Therefore, the intake of juice should be limited.
According to figures provided by FHI to NRK, Norwegian children consume less than 1 deciliter of fruit juice per day on average. Although it will vary from child to child, with some drinking much more and others drinking less.
– Since a small glass of fruit juice can be included as 1 in 5 a day according to the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s dietary advice, some may think that it is healthy to also drink more, says researcher Mari Mohn Paulsen at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Furthermore, she says that the reasons why children and young people become overweight are often many and complex, and that it is not just about juice. Understandably.
– Having said that, you should rather eat whole fruit and vegetables than drink a lot of juice, as consuming the whole fruit gives a much better feeling of satiety and contributes to a good intake of dietary fibre, says Paulsen.
Paulsen says that according to the new Nordic nutritional recommendations, the consumption of fruit juice should be limited to children.
Photo: Gunnar F. Lothe / UiO
– Lots of acid damage
This study has looked at what increased consumption of fruit juice can do to our weight. But what does the drink do to the teeth?
Heming Olsen-Bergem can answer that. He is a leader in the Norwegian Dental Association.
– Do you think Norwegian children drink too much juice?
– No, not in general. There are some who do, but it is mostly about the total use of acidic drinks. Juice is just one of them. If you also drink soft drinks, sugar-free soft drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and the like, there will be a total of too much time with too low a pH in the mouth and around the teeth.
Still, there is concern to track.
– We see that young people get a lot of acid damage to their teeth. These injuries can come from juice, but the biggest risk is when you drink energy drinks, sports drinks and soft drinks. And especially when you combine all of these.
Heming Olsen-Bergem doesn’t drink a lot of juice, but says he occasionally has a glass when he wants to enjoy his breakfast. Either at home or in a hotel.
Photo: KRISTIN AKSNES
2024-01-28 06:53:56
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