Study Shows Fruit Juice/Drink Link To Children's Weight Gain

Schoolchildren who drink fruit juices and fruit drinks are more likely to be overweight or obese than those who don't, Deakin researchers have found.

In a study of children aged four to 12 years from the Barwon South Western region researchers Andrea Sanigorski, Colin Bell and Boyd Swinburn from the University's Faculty of Health, Medicine, Nursing and Behavioural Sciences found that children who had drank more than two glasses (500ml) of fruit juice/drink per day were more likely to be overweight or obese.

"These odds increased as the amounts of fruit juice/drink consumed increased," Dr Sanigorski said.

"Children who drank more than three glasses of soft drink (three quarters of a litre/750ml) or 4 glasses of fruit juice/drinks (1 litre) on the day in question were more than twice as likely to be overweight or obese compared with children who did not drink these drinks."

Dr Sanigorski said the study's findings were consistent with those found in children in the United States and the United Kingdom.