Sometimes not recommended during gastroenteritis because of its sugar content, apple juice would however be an effective means of rehydration.
It is a remedy that should make children happy when faced with the difficult times of gastroenteritis. Although common and most often mild, this infection causes mild dehydration. According to researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada, it would be better to treat it with a glass of diluted apple juice and then let the child drink what he wants, rather than resorting to solutions of electrolyte rehydration. The latter, usually offered at the onset of diarrhea, contain the right doses of sugars and mineral salts to be absorbed quickly and thus restore good hydration.
Fewer treatment failures
Analysis of the medical records of 647 children, aged 6 to 60 months and treated for gastroenteritis with low dehydration, indeed shows that apple juice is associated with a lower number of treatment failure: 17% versus 25% for children who took an electrolyte solution. In 9% of cases, the rehydration of the latter then required an infusion, against 2.5% of children who consumed apple juice. However, no significant difference was noted in the rate of hospitalization and the frequency of vomiting or diarrhea.
“In many high-income countries, the use of diluted apple juice may be an appropriate alternative to electrolyte solutions,” the researchers concluded. On the condition, however, to ensure that dehydration is minimal. Although complicated episodes of gastroenteritis are now rare, they can sometimes require hospitalization of the child.
.
