Newswise — There is no body of research that links consumption of 100 percent fruit juice with an increased incidence of either diabetes or overweight status in adults. The scientific community would agree that one single study (such as that recently published by Bazzano et al.) does not provide support for any general conclusions about 100 percent fruit juice. Even the lead investigator on this research emphasized that these findings must be replicated.
In fact, blaming a particular food or beverage for increasing the risk of type 2 diabetes " a disease that medical and scientific experts around the world know has multiple causes and risk factors " goes against basic scientific principles since the disease is so complex. It also is irresponsible to malign a basic food group component (100 percent fruit juice is considered a fruit serving and has been for decades), which could unduly mislead consumers about the benefits of a very healthful food.
Interestingly, a published study in 2004 that examined the very same cohort (the Nurses Health Study, as did Bazzano et al. in this paper in Diabetes Care) found no association with consumption of 100 percent fruit juices and risk for diabetes or overweight among women.
A previous study by Bazzano and her colleagues published in 2005 agrees with the World Health Organization recommendations for the prevention of diabetes by addressing key factors: overweight, obesity, fatness in the midsection and physical activity. Dietary intake of saturated fat (possibly including total and trans fat) were also considered risk factors while consumption of a low glycemic index was possibly protective.
With that recognition in mind, the lowest juice consumers in this most recent study consumed similar amounts of calories from fat as those who consumed the most juice (51.7 g vs 54.8 g). Morever, the calculations of total calories consumed (as listed in the paper) does not add up. Hand calculations show that individuals in the highest juice consumption group ate only 1577 calories per day (not 2061 calories as listed) vs. the low juice consumers (1457 calories daily).
Most importantly, the increase in calories from carbohydrate between the lowest and highest groupings (sorted by juice consumption) also was only 74 calories (which amounts to about four ounces of juice), which one could logically infer is not going to be a risk factor for diabetes. And given that whole fruits contain the same types of sugars as do juice, the higher group of juice consumers also ate five times more fruit than the lower juice drinkers, thus upping their intake of carbohydrates. Fiber intake, which is said to reduce diabetes risk, in the highest juice consumer group was close to twice that of the low juice consumers, probably due to higher fruit and vegetable intake.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has stressed the important contribution to nutrient intake of 100 percent fruit juices and advises that, when consumed in quantities consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, fruit juice consumption is advantageous for healthy consumers. For the authors of this latest paper to suggest that 100 percent juice be somehow not considered as a fruit serving belies scientific reasoning and is not substantiated by any scientific evidence. The Juice Products Association encourages consumers to enjoy juice in age-appropriate amounts and to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
For further information about the important role of 100 percent fruit juice in the diet, visit http://www.fruitjuicefacts.org.
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