Stuttgart  - Results from a new study conducted in Germany show fructose, which is found in fruit and juices, can be a cause of obesity in children.

Researchers at the Institute for Nutritional Medicine at the University of Stuttgart found children lost weight when their consumption of fructose was reduced over a period of time.

The study looked at 15 overweight children between the ages of five and eight years. Over three months, the children were given food with half as much fructose as their diet contained before.

The body mass index of the children reduced by 0.7 during the study. The researchers believe a temporary reduction in fructose consumption can have a beneficial effect on obese children. (dpa)