CARBOHYDRATE-ABSORPTION FROM FRUIT JUICE IN YOUNG-CHILDREN

Objective. To compare carbohydrate absorption following ingestion of a pple juice and white grape juice in 28 healthy children. Design. Rando mized, double-blind crossover study. Setting. Outpatient pediatric cli nic at Maimonides Medical Center. Participants. A total of 18 healthy infants (mean age 6.3 months) and 10 toddlers (mean age 18.0 months), representing those ages when juice is first introduced (6 months) and when juice comprises a large portion of the diet (18 months). Methods. Breath hydrogen (H-2) testing was performed after age-specific servin gs of white grape juice or apple juice, 4 and 8 ounces respectively, w ere consumed. These portions provided approximately 1 g of fructose pe r kg of body weight. Breath H-2 responses of >20 ppm were considered p ositive, indicating incomplete absorption of fruit juice carbohydrates . Results. In the combined age groups, carbohydrate malabsorption occu rred more frequently after apple juice consumption (54%) than after wh ite grape juice (19%; P <.001). Significant differences in area under the breath H-2 curve (AUG) were also found between the two juices in b oth age groups. Among toddlers, the differences between the mean peak breath H-2 responses were significant (48 ppm after apple juice consum ption compared with 12 ppm after white grape juice; P <.001). These di fferences were not significant in the infant group. Significant differ ences (P <.05) were seen between the two age groups after consumption of apple juice; the toddlers exhibited a greater number of positive br eath H-2 responses and higher peak responses compared with the infants . Data from the children who drank both juices showed significant diff erences in peak breath H-2 responses after consumption of apple juice compared with white grape juice (P <.005). Conclusions. The study demo nstrated less carbohydrate malabsorption following ingestion of white grape juice compared with apple juice in healthy 6- and 18-month-old c hildren.