ANAHEIM, Calif.—Children and teens who drink 100-percent juice have improved nutrient intake and overall diet quality, according to new research presented April 28 at the Experimental Biology 2010 meeting.
Researchers used data from the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to compare the diets of juice drinkers to non-consumers. According to the findings, children age 2 to 5 who consumed fruit juice had significantly higher intakes of vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium and significantly lower intakes of added sugars compared to non-fruit juice consumers. Higher intake of fruit juice also was directly correlated with increased consumption of whole fruits and whole grains.
Children age 6 to 12 showed a similar positive association between intake of 100-percent juice and higher intakes of the key nutrients, as well as dietary fiber. Overall diet quality, as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (a measure that evaluates conformance to federal dietary guidance) was higher in all fruit juice consumers assessed.
Researchers reported that a significantly higher percentage of non-fruit juice consumers age 2 to 18 years of age failed to meet the recommended levels for several key nutrients, including vitamins A and C and folate, compared to those who drank 100-percent juice. Comparatively, a greater percentage of those in the fruit juice group exceeded Adequate Intake levels for calcium versus non-consumers.
