Drinking one glass or more of 100% fruit juice each day is associated with weight gain in children and adults, according to a new analysis of 42 previous studies.

The research, published Tuesday in JAMA Pediatrics, found a positive association between drinking 100% fruit juice and BMI — a calculation that takes into account weight and height — among kids. It also found an association between daily consumption of 100% fruit juice with weight gain among adults.

100% fruit juice was defined as fruit juices with no added sugar.

  • CoreOffset@lemm.ee
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    10 months ago

    This seems like it would be really obvious, no?

    If you are simply buying fruit juices at the store you are getting zero to virtually zero fiber. So you are getting a bunch of calories but without feeling any sense of fullness that you would get if you instead just ate the fruit.

    Fruit is healthy but you are much better off just eating the fruit and drinking water. If you really want to drink the fruit juice you should just blend the fruit so that you are also getting all the pulp. The fiber is excellent for you and will help prevent you from turning all that juice into “empty” calories.

    • 9point6@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      It’s obvious to anyone who has thought about it, yes. Unfortunately there’s a larger than you expect percentage of people out there who just think “fruit healthy” and that’s where the thought ends

      • CraigeryTheKid@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        my dad, who is quite overweight, would order the sweet potato french fries at Culver’s, after I told him to eat healthier. My mom even supported him - “those are SWEET POTATO fries! that’s healthy!”. I told them that’s not how it works, and it just made them angry.

      • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        It doesn’t help that government recommendations have been based on either terrible research or straight up from lobbying groups for so many decades.

        The old food pyramid was insane. Nuts, beans, and red meat all being lumped in the protein category, while all fats and sweets were considered the same. Sugar was just considered a carbohydrate, whether it came from fruits or from soda (high fructose corn syrup). The categories were displayed and expressed as hard lines and there was no nuance at all. Not to mention bread, cereal, rice, pasta all being the largest category… and an entire category for just milk-based items.

        For many people the government recommendation is just taken at face value, often just because that is what they’re taught in school.

      • Altevisor@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        I think children are generally taught “eat your fruits and vegetables”. It should not be permitted to target children with fruit-branded junk food and mis-marketing

      • CoreOffset@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Unfortunately there’s a larger than you expect percentage of people out there who just think “fruit healthy” and that’s where the thought ends

        Totally fair point. As usual I tend to overestimate the general public.

      • pete_the_cat@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        One of my friends was staying with me for a few days. She bought 2 half gallons of apple juice (buy one, get one) and she was saying how much she loved it, how healthy it was, and she switched over from soda a while ago. I commented that it’s not really healthy per se because it still contains nearly as much sugar as soda, she didn’t disagree but still said that drinking apple juice just seems healthier since it’s from a fruit.

      • _number8_@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        what does “healthy” even mean in this context exactly? like if i eat 3 apples tomorrow will i tangibly actually feel different? what about every day for a week? month? what exactly are people getting out of this other than the placebo effect from the word ‘healthy’

      • jaybone@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Yes you’d think that wouldn’t include researchers who do research and publish in pediatric journals though.

    • Catoblepas
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      10 months ago

      If you really want to drink the fruit juice you should just blend the fruit so that you are also getting all the pulp.

      Thanks for reminding me I need to go to my local taqueria and get an agua fresca o7

    • gregorum@lemm.ee
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      10 months ago

      this is why, while i love fruit smoothies, i also make sure to also add some granola and/or flax seed for extra fiber.

      helps me save on t-p, too!

      • Alto@kbin.social
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        10 months ago

        If you like banana smoothies, peanut butter is another great way to round it out a bit more. And yknow, make it taste all the better because peanut butter fucks.

        • CoreOffset@lemm.ee
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          10 months ago

          Freeze the banana and then blend the frozen banana with peanut butter and a little almond/oat/other plant milk and it’s like a milkshake without the dairy. Amazingly good!

          • Alto@kbin.social
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            10 months ago

            Growing up we’d blend just frozen bananas and a little bit of peanut butter together. Keep it going long enough and you’ll get real close to ice cream consistency with just those two things. Add a little drizzle of chocolate syrup and you’ve got a reasonably not unhealthy treat that’s damn good.