Fruit drinks make kids fat? 7 beverages blasted in new report

Fruit drinks are under fire. A new report from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity says many of the drinks that it claims are heavily marketed to kids - beverages that parents may consider healthful alternatives to soft drinks - contain dangerously high levels of sugar.

"These drinks increase the risk for obesity and diabetes," the report says. "Drinking just one 8-ounce sugary drink every day increases a child's odds of becoming obese by 60 percent."

How much sugar are kids allowed to have? For 4- to 8-year-old kids, no more than 15 to 18 grams a day (depending on amount of physical activity), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Which beverages are the biggest offenders? Keep clicking to see seven brands singled out by the Yale researchers, ranked by the amount of sugar the drinks contain...

7. Powerade Play

Kicking off the list of sugary drinks is sports drink Powerade Play. Even though kids don't need to consume any sports drinks, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, Powerade has created a sports drink specifically for children. A 10-ounce bottle of the stuff contains 15 grams of sugar, as well as artificial sweeteners, which may be linked to weight gain in children.

6. Capri Sun

A 6-ounce pouch of Capri Sun contains 16 grams of added sugar - 107 percent of the recommended daily allowance for a child.

5. Sunny D

Sunny D is a high-calorie fruit drink that contains 18 to 20 grams of sugar per 8 ounces - 100 percent of the daily allowance for a very active child. Every variety of Sunny D also contains the artificial sweetener sucralose, which may be linked to weight gain in children.

4. Kool-Aid

A 6.8-ounce child-sized serving of Kool-Aid Jammers contains up to 24 grams of sugar - just as much sugar per serving as Coca-Cola Classic. This is 160 percent of the added sugar a child should have per day.

3. Arizona Kidz

A 10-ounce bottle of this child product contains up to 27 grams of sugar - 180 percent of the daily added sugar allowance for a child.

2. Minute Maid coolers

These 6.7-ounce child pouches contain 25 grams of sugar per serving - 180 percent of a full day's worth of added sugar for a child.

1. Hawaiian Punch

An 8-ounce serving of Hawaiian Punch contains up to 29 grams of added sugar - 193 percent of the sugar a child needs for an entire day - in addition to artificial sweeteners.