Socioeconomic gradient in consumption of whole fruit and 100% fruit juice among US children and adults.

Adam Drewnowski,Colin D Rehm

doi:10.1186/1475-2891-14-3

Abstract

BackgroundThe consumption of fruit is generally associated with better health, but also higher socioeconomic status (SES). Most previous studies evaluating consumption of fruits have not separated 100% fruit juice and whole fruit, which may conceal interesting patterns in consumption.ObjectiveTo estimate demographic and socioeconomic correlates of whole fruit versus 100% juice consumption among children and adults in the United States.DesignSecondary analyses of two cycles of the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2007–2010, by gender, age group, race/ethnicity and SES among 16,628 children and adults.ResultsTotal fruit consumption (population average of 1.06 cup equivalents/d) fell far short of national goals. Overall, whole fruit provided about 65% of total fruit, while 100% juice provided the remainder. Whereas 100% juice consumption was highest among children and declined sharply with age, whole fruit consumption was highest among older adults. Total fruit and whole fruit consumption was generally higher among those with higher incomes or more education. By contrast, the highest 100% juice consumption was found among children, racial/ethnic minorities and lower-income groups.ConclusionsConsumption patterns for whole fruit versus 100% fruit juice showed different gradients by race/ethnicity, education, and income. The advice to replace 100% juice with whole fruit may pose a challenge for the economically disadvantaged and some minority groups, whose fruit consumption falls short of national goals.

Highlights

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recommends increasing consumption of fruit [1]
Whole fruit is generally dense in dietary fiber, and many fruit juices are fortified with vitamin D and/or calcium, all of which were identified in the DGAs as nutrients of concern given low levels of consumption [1,5,6]
In analyses unadjusted for socio-demographic covariates, total fruit consumption increased with family income-to-poverty ratio and was higher for Mexican-Americans and other Hispanics than for non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks

Summary

Introduction

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGAs) recommends increasing consumption of fruit [1]. In all but the youngest children, total fruit consumption in the United States falls short of recommended levels [1,2,3]. The 2010 DGAs specify that 100% fruit juice is an important component of total fruit consumption, but does recommend limiting its consumption given its lack of dietary fiber and potential for excess consumption. Whole fruit is generally dense in dietary fiber, and many fruit juices are fortified with vitamin D and/or calcium, all of which were identified in the DGAs as nutrients of concern given low levels of consumption [1,5,6]. Most previous studies evaluating consumption of fruits have not separated 100% fruit juice and whole fruit, which may conceal interesting patterns in consumption

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion