The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a policy statement about fruit juice, citing current recommendations for all ages. Juice historically has been recommended by physicians for everything from increasing vitamin C consumption to aiding with constipation.
Today, juices is marketed as being healthy alternatives to soda, and the highest consumers of juice are children and adolescents, and for many, juice is their only source of fruit. However, juice is high in calories and low in fiber, and can also raise the risk of tooth decay.
The recommendations from the statement, including not introducing juice into the diet of infants before 12 months of age, encourage eating whole fruits versus juice and guidelines for pediatricians to support the reduction of consumption of fruit juice in childrens’ diets.