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Background: Excessive fruit juice intake (>12 ounces/day) has been reported to be associated with short stature and obesity in preschool children., Objective: To confirm whether excess fruit juice intake was associated with short stature and obesity in preschool children, we assessed growth parameters and fruit juice intake in 105 white children, ages 24 to 36 months., Methodology: Mothers were interviewed twice by a registered dietitian when children were age 24, 28, or 32 months (interview 1) and when children were age 28, 32, or 36 months (interview 2); interviews were assigned randomly. At each interview mothers provided 3 days of dietary data (one 24-hour recall and a 2-day food record) and the registered dietitian weighed the child and measured his/her height. Dietary data were analyzed using Nutritionist IV software. Each child's body mass index (wt/ht2) and ponderal index (wt/ht3) were calculated for each interview. Growth parameters of children consuming <12 ounces/day 100% fruit juice were compared with those consuming >/=12 ounces/day using the Student's t test, chi2, Fisher's exact test, and mixed model repeated measures analyses (PROC MIXED)., Results: Results consistently indicated no statistically significant differences in children's height, body mass index, or ponderal index related to fruit juice intake. Intakes of soda pop were negatively related to intakes of milk and fruit juice although intakes of milk and fruit juice were not related., Conclusions: The consistent lack of relationship between children's fruit juice intake and growth parameters in our study does not support previous recommendations to limit the intake of 100% fruit juice to <12 ounces/day.

This study was designed to determine whether a soluble dietary fiber supplement containing gum arabic and pectin in apple juice would lower serum lipids in 110 hypercholesterolemic men and women. Subjects were stabilized on an American Heart Association Phase I Diet for 8 wk. Those with elevated low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, despite dietary modification, continued to follow the diet and were randomly assigned to receive 720 mL/d of apple juice containing 0 (control), 5, 9 or 15 g of gum arabic and pectin (4:1 ratio) for 12 wk, followed by a 6-wk apple juice-only washout phase. Serum lipid profiles, body weight and 3-day diet records were collected at 3-wk intervals. No significant differences among groups were observed in serum lipid responses during treatment or washout. During the treatment phase, mean serum total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations increased by 3.5 and 28.5%, respectively (all groups combined, P < 0.0001). The high density lipoprotein cholesterol level did not change significantly from baseline in any group. During washout, mean total cholesterol concentration rose by an additional 2.4% (P < 0.05) compared with the value at the end of the treatment period, suggesting that the apple juice used to deliver the fiber supplement may have contributed to the adverse changes observed in the serum lipid profile. These findings do not support the hypothesized hypocholesterolemic effect of the gum arabic/pectin (4:1) mixture studied, but do underline the importance of selecting appropriate vehicles for delivery of dietary fiber mixtures.