Fruit juices, for kids and adults, may include lead and other metals, study finds

Be on the lookout, check how the juice boxes that you use to treat lows scored:

Another knock against fruit juices: Many contain potentially harmful levels of arsenic, cadmium and lead, according to Consumer Reports.

The non-profit consumer research and advocacy group tested 45 fruit juices (apple, grape, pear and fruit blends) sold across the U.S. and found elevated levels of those heavy metals in nearly half of them. Particularly concerning to the researchers was that many of the juices were marketed to children.

I think drinking such a concentrated source of carbohydrates is a poor nutrition choice for people with and without diabetes. Now there’s evidence that they contain some toxic substances. I can only hope that consumers will respond rationally and reduce their demand for this class of products.

As a child, I remember that we had “juice glasses,” a four ounce glass. Perhaps that was remnant from the times when orange juice was a luxury and only consumed in small serving size.

I would definitely be concerned if I had a child with diabetes and offered juice as the primary antidote for hypoglycemia. Due to a smaller body size than adults, children would seem to be particularly vulnerable to this contamination.

Thanks for raising this topic, @Mila. I recommend interested readers to click through the USA Today article and go to the Consumer Reports story.

Glad to see Juicy Juice 100% apple juice is on the better choice list. It’s the only one my daughter has ever liked. I can’t even guess at how many boxes we’ve used over the past 10 years.

Glad to see Juicy Juice 100% apple juice is on the better choice list. It’s the only one my daughter has ever liked. I can’t even guess at how many boxes we’ve used over the past 10 years.

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