Fruit juices for babies are not as 'healthy' as parents may think

Pediatrics advise eliminating fruit juices from a child's diet in first year

Health benefits of giving fruit juices to babies are not as many as one may think; a new report by the American Academy of Pediatrics [AAP] advises parent to instill a complete ban on it from a baby’s diet.

While the AAP had previously recommended avoiding the drink until babies were at least six months old, after a 16-year gap, the group published new guidelines based on the concern that juices – offering no nutritional benefits – could potentially replace basic necessities for a baby: breast or formula milk, protein, fat and minerals.

Hundred per cent fruit juices are often taken as ‘healthy’ and ‘nutritional’ alternates to the fruit itself, however Dr Steven Abrams, a lead author of the AAP report, revealed that "whole fruit typically has more fiber than fruit juice and is less likely to cause dental decay."



Emphasising that whole fruit is "less of a pure sugar intake", the chairman of pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, Dr Abrams said: "We want kids to learn how to eat fresh foods. If you assume fruit juice is equal to fruit, then you’re not getting that message."

For instance, where four ounces of apple juice has 60 calories, 13g of sugar and no fiber, a half cup of apple slices has half the calories [30], only 5.5g of sugar and 1.5g of fiber. In fact, store-bought juice has nearly the same amount of sugar and calories as soda: four ounces of lemon-lime soda has  12.6g of sugar and 46 calories.

While the report does not directly link obesity and fruit juices, it highlights that the drink "has no essential role in healthy, balanced diets of children."

Dr Abrams also warns against juices marketed with added benefits of vitamins. "You want to be careful about saying ‘Drink juice for vitamins’ because they can be added to anything."



The AAP report was welcomed by the chief of the division of general pediatrics at MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, Dr Elsie M Taveras who thinks it is 'a fantastic recommendation for infants, and it’s long overdue."

"Parents feel their infants need fruit juices, but that’s a misconception," she said. "We have studies that show infants who drink more juice in that early life period are more likely to go on to drink soda and sugar-containing beverages."

Dentist in chief at the Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr Man Wai Ng also endorsed the new guidelines. "One hundred percent fruit juice should be offered only on special occasions, especially for kids who are at high-risk for tooth decay," she said.

Where the 2001 recommendations allowed leeway to parents, the new report advises to curb intake for one-three year olds to four ounces daily, amount for four-six year olds remains the same at six ounces. It also restricts six-eighteen year olds to a maximum daily consumption to eight ounces – a decrease of four ounces from the previous guidelines.

This article originally appeared on The New York Times