We have heard in the past that drinking fruit juice is just as bad as drinking soda, since even though it contains vitamins and minerals, it still has a high number of calories from sugar. Some even speculated that drinking too many calories is a major cause of childhood obesity. A new study suggests that this speculation is incorrect and that drinking juice does not necessarily contribute to excessive weight gain.

The study, conducted by Dr. Theresa A. Nicklas from the Children's Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, looked at 3-5 year old children and found that, on average, they only consumed 4.7-oz of juice per day, which is well within the 4 to 6-oz. recommended by the US dietary guidelines. It also found that not even 10% of these kids drank as much milk (low-fat or skim, preferably) as they should. Regardless, even when the study participants drank more calories each day, "beverage consumption was not associated with [being] overweight."

Nicklas says that more studies are needed, but it is becoming clearer every day that there is no simple solution, no one food that can be eliminated, to the obesity problems that so many around the world are facing. Hopefully, everyone will stop trying to point fingers and, instead, actually try to help people overcome obesity in a real way.

If you love drinking fruit juices, but think you might need to cut back because of recent reports out of UCSF linking juice to childhood obesity, well ignore that and pay attention to this recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine that shows that frequently drinking fruit and vegetable juices may significantly cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

US researchers found that the risk of Alzheimer's disease was "76% lower for those who drank juice more than three times a week, compared with those who drank it less than once a week."

Fruit and vegetable juices are rich in polyphenols, chemicals that disrupt the process that accumulates clumps of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which are associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.

So while you might get a little chubby from all that sugar, at least you'll remember who you are.