Despite concern that fruit juice leads to gaining weight in children, a new study shows there is no link between children’s consumption of 100-percent fruit juice and their weight.

For the study, Dr. Theresa A. Nicklas of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and her team analyzed the juice-drinking and diet habits of 3,618 children who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2002.

The researchers measured and weighed the children and asked them about the types of food and drink they had consumed. They found that the children drank 4.1 fluid ounces of juice per day, which led to ingurgitating about 58 calories. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children 1 to 6 years old drink 4 to 6 ounces daily, and children and teens 7 to 18 years old, 8 to 12 ounces.

No link between drinking juice and being overweight was made. Moreover, these children had higher intakes of calories, carbohydrates, vitamins C and B6, potassium, riboflavin, magnesium, iron and folate and significantly lower intakes of total fat, saturated fat, discretionary fat and added sugar. They also ate more fruit than those who did not drink juice.

Dr. Nicklas said, “there’s this misconception out there. Juices tastes good, it’s naturally sweet, so some people think that kids drink too much of it.” In fact, children who drink fruit juice appear to have healthier diets because the higher intake of vitamins.

“One-hundred--percent juice consumption was associated with better nutrient intake than in the non-consumption group and was not associated with weight status or the likelihood of being overweight in children 2 to 11 years of age,” the researchers concluded.

The findings were published in the June 2 edition of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.