A daily glass of orange juice can make children fatter

A fruit drink is often seen as a healthy option, but new research suggests that they contribute to weight gain in kids and should be avoided in order to tackle obesity.

Scientists from the University of Toronto analysed data from over 46,000 children and discovered that the more often they drank fruit juice, the fatter they tended to be.

They have warned that juice is "liquid calories" and parents must limit their child's intake to prevent them from growing up overweight.

Writing in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, the authors said: "Our findings are in support of public health guidance to limit consumption of 100 per cent fruit juice to prevent overweight and obesity."

The experts accept that fruit juice can be a "convenient" way of meeting daily fruit dietary requirements but stress that it causes weight gain due to "high amounts of free sugars and energy".

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