Another gem from CNN.com this morning, that our local Fox affiliate promised to cover last night (”Does fruit juice make children fat? Find out at 11.”) is Study links juice, chubby children.

The abridged version is this: if your child is overweight at 3 to 4 years, and you give them fruit juice, they are 50% more likely to be overweight a year later. Those not overweight have no need to worry. While this is interesting and all, it seems more like a media machination than actual steadfast fact. For one, the universe in this study could by no means be construed as a true sample, as it was “10,904 Missouri children in a nutrition program for low-income families” My guess is that there were some other contributing factors inherent to low-income families that can account for some of these changes. Are low-income families who feed their kids fruit juice more likely to also give them other sweets? Does the same apply to all families? I don’t know, but as far as I can tell from the article, this, along with other variables, was not taken into account.

Also, as usual, the media gleans a big number, 5o%, without telling us the most important number. Is it 50% more than 200? 2000? 2? Big discrepancy. This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to “studies” and the media. Give us all the numbers, not just the ones that make the best headlines and USAToday graphs.

The moral, according to More Diapers? When it comes to fruit juice, use common sense.