Drinking a glass of 100% pure fruit juice every day has been shown to directly influence weight gain in children and adults. This conclusion came after an analysis of several earlier studies on the subject.
"An important problem with liquids is quantity. Consuming fruit in that form makes it very easy to overdose," said the co-author and leader of the nutritionist study, Dr. Walter Willett. "For example, how many times do you happen to eat 3 oranges? But a glass that's made of three oranges you drink in 2 minutes and you can still drink more without realizing that it's driving your blood glucose into the stratosphere," explains Willett.
Over time, too much sugar in the blood can lead to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other chronic diseases, experts say.
With the added concern of growing children showing obesity and dental cavities, it is advised that parents avoid liquids altogether for children under 1 year of age and have limits for those 1 to 6 years of age.
According to studies, there is no strong reason to give your child juice instead of a whole fruit, unless the child does not like natural fruit.
As for teenagers and adults, none of them should drink more than one glass of juice a day.
