Juice and water intake in infancy and later beverage intake and adiposity: Could juice be a gateway drink?

Objectives To examine the tracking and significance of beverage consumption in infancy and childhood. Methods Among 1163 children in Project Viva, we examined associations of fruit juice and water intake at 1 year (0 oz, 1‐7 oz [small], 8‐15 oz [medium], and ≥16 oz [large]) with juice and sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) intake and BMI z‐score during early (median 3.1 years) and mid‐childhood (median 7.7 years). Results In covariate adjusted models, juice intake at 1 year was associated with greater juice and SSB intake during early and mid‐childhood and also greater adiposity. Children who drank medium and large amounts of juice at 1 year had higher BMI z‐scores during both early (medium: β = 0.16 [95% CI = 0.01‐0.32]; large: β = 0.28 [95% CI = 0.01‐0.56]) and mid‐childhood (medium: β = 0.23 [95% CI = 0.07‐0.39]; large: β = 0.36 [95% CI = 0.08‐0.64]). After covariate adjustment, associations between water intake at 1 year and beverage intake and adiposity later in childhood were null. Conclusions Higher juice intake at 1 year was associated with higher juice intake, SSB intake, and BMI z‐score during early and mid‐childhood. Assessing juice intake during infancy could provide clinicians with important data regarding future unhealthy beverage habits and excess adiposity during childhood.