Published online August 31, 2007
PEDIATRICS Vol. 120 No. 3 September 2007, pp. 696-697 (doi:10.1542/peds.2007-1764)

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Clarity in Juice Classification

William Stinson, PhD
Science and Health
Florida Department of Citrus
Citrus Research and Education Center
Lake Alfred, FL 33850

To the Editor.—

The Florida Department of Citrus wants to bring an important issue to the attention of Pediatrics readers. There is a lack of clarity in studies regarding the way specific fruit beverages are classified and reported. This may result in misinterpretation of study results and subsequent misreporting in the media, which may impact children's health negatively.

A recent review of 5 articles published in Pediatrics during the past 5 years concerning fruit-beverage consumption and weight in children shows that several published studies^1–3 have categorized "fruit juices" in a way that might be confusing to readers. In the recently published Faith et al study,¹ survey data were obtained and reported for "fruit juice"; the authors did not make it clear whether this category included only 100% fruit juices or any drink that included some percentage of juice.

We are concerned that this ambiguity adds to the confusion that already exists regarding the health benefits and nutritional quality differences between 100% juice and sweetened fruit drinks. The Florida Department of Citrus is committed to educating consumers and health professionals about the differences between 100% juice and various "ades," "cocktails," and "drinks" that have sugar or sweeteners added and contain very low percentages of fruit juice. These sweetened beverages often have confusing labels, which leads parents to think that they are choosing a healthy option for their children. However, there are clearly nutritional and dietary differences between the two.

• The US Department of Health and Human Services 2005 dietary guidelines for Americans (www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines) and the US Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid plan (www.mypyramid.gov) suggest following a diet that emphasizes consumption of fruits and vegetables while limiting foods and beverages with added sugars. Because 100% juice counts as a fruit serving and sweetened fruit drinks do not, there are clearly recognized dietary differences between the two.
  
• In 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (a partnership between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association [www.healthiergeneration.org]) partnered with leading beverage manufacturers to establish science-based healthy beverage guidelines for schools, including vending-machine sales. These guidelines allow for the sale of healthier or lower-calorie beverages such as water, lower-fat milk, and 100% juices while disallowing "juices" with added sweeteners.
  
• Sugar-sweetened fruit drinks do not have the same nutritional profile as 100% fruit juices and often lack in nutrients such as folate, potassium, and a variety of phytochemicals that are provided by pure 100% juices.
  

In support of continued efforts to curb the alarming levels of obesity in children and adolescents, this issue warrants attention. A set of simple guidelines should be established regarding juice-study submissions to Pediatrics. These guidelines would require such studies to clearly state and describe the various beverage categories that are referenced in the study and specifically delineate between 100% juices and juice drinks. We believe this clarity would help health care professionals more accurately report the results of such studies so that parents and others can make informed and healthful decisions regarding children's diets.

We encourage you to visit our Web site, FloridaJuice.com, and the Juice Products Association's Web site, FruitJuiceFacts.org.

REFERENCES

1. Faith MS, Dennison BA, Edmunds LS, Stratton HH. Fruit juice intake predicts increased adiposity gain in children from low-income families: weight status-by-environment interaction. Pediatrics. 2006;118 :2066 –2075[Abstract/Free Full Text]
2. Rhee KE, DeLago CW, Arscott-Mills T, Mehta SD, Davis RK. Factors associated with parental readiness to make changes for overweight children. Pediatrics. 2005;116(1) . Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/116/1/e94
3. Welsh JA, Cogswell ME, Rogers S, Rockett H, Mei Z, Grummer-Strawn LM. Overweight among low-income preschool children associated with the consumption of sweet drinks: Missouri, 1999–2002. Pediatrics. 2005;115(2) . Available at: www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/115/2/e223

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PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2007 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stinson, W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stinson, W. Related Collections Nutrition & Metabolism Social Bookmarking                         What's this?