Providing infants fruit juice too early in life may result in a greater risk of obesity, according to research in the Journal of Nutrition.
It is often recommended by public health entities that infants should not be fed fruit juice until after age 1.
The study considered more than 4,900 American female caregivers who received a follow-up within seven years.
“Of the mothers, 25% and 74% introduced juice prior to 6 and 12 months, respectively,” the co-authors determined.
“Earlier juice introduction was related to a higher childhood juice intake, any soda intake, and lower water intake, holding total beverage intake constant.”
“Markers of lower socioeconomic status are strongly associated with earlier juice introduction, which, in turn, relates to sugary beverage intake in childhood, potentially replacing water,” the study found.
