Diluted apple juice acts against the threat of dehydration and mild diarrhea

Diarrhea fluid loss can be compensated with diluted apple juice
Diarrhea in children can quickly become a critical complaint due to fluid loss. Here, therefore, the administration of electrolyte solutions may be necessary. However, the results of a recent study suggest that light diarrhea and diluted apple juice can balance the fluid loss - with equal success and fewer side effects.

The Canadian research team led by Stephen B. Freedman of the Alberta Children's Hospital at the University of Calgary concludes that dilute apple juice is the first sign of dehydration in children exposed to mild gastroenteritis (gastrointestinal infection) A comparable good balance of fluid loss causes, as the common electrolyte solutions. The researchers published their results in the journal "JAMA".

Diluted apple juice is a great way to balance the fluid loss of children with diarrhea. (Image: margo555 / fotolia.com)

Diarrhea can easily cause internal dehydration in children
If children experience major fluid losses as a result of diarrheal disease, this can lead to a life-threatening lack of fluids. As a countermeasure, children usually receive electrolyte solutions if they show signs of dehydration. In their current study, Canadian physicians examined 647 randomly selected children (median age 28.3 months, 331 boys, 441 girls) who had been treated clinically for mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration, to compensate for fluid loss with diluted apple juice can.

Apple juice with better treatment results
On the basis of the improvement of the symptoms and any necessary re-medical treatments, the success of oral ingestion of the diluted apple juice was compared with the intake of an electrolyte solution. In just 16.7 percent of children in the apple juice group, treatment was unsuccessful, whereas in the electrolyte group, 25 percent of children had to be re-treated, Freedman and colleagues report. Researchers conclude that in children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration, initially diluted apple juice should be administered orally, followed by the preferred fluids. This results in "less treatment errors" compared to electrolyte solutions and greater success. (Fp)