A longitudinal study of fruit juice consumption during preschool years and subsequent diet quality and BMI

BackgroundThe role of fruit juice in pediatric dietary guidelines continues to be controversial, particularly with respect to concerns about unhealthy dietary habits and the potential promotion of excessive weight gain. The objective of the current study was to determine the association between preschool fruit juice consumption and the following outcomes during childhood and adolescence: whole and total fruit intake, diet quality, likelihood of meeting current dietary recommendations, and BMI change.MethodsThe data were previously collected from 100 children enrolled in the Framingham Children’s Study at 3–6 years of age and subsequently followed for 10 years. Dietary data were collected annually using multiple sets of 3-day diet records. Compliance with dietary recommendations was estimated based on2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americansand diet quality was measured using the associated Healthy Eating Index (HEI). Mixed linear and logistic regression models were used for statistical analyses.ResultsPreschool children (3–6 years) who drank ≥1.0 (vs. p p p = 0.0044). Preschoolers consuming Dietary Guidelinesfor whole fruit intake during adolescence (p ConclusionThese data suggest that preschool consumption of 100% fruit juice is associated with beneficial effects on whole fruit intake and diet quality without having any adverse effect on BMI during childhood and into middle adolescence.