Carbohydrate malabsorption following fruit juice ingestion in young children.

We performed breath hydrogen analyses in 13 healthy children (9 to 36 months of age) and seven children (14 to 27 months of age) with chronic nonspecific diarrhea after they had ingested pear, grape, and apple juices and a 2% sorbitol solution. Excess breath H2 excretion was found in virtually all study subjects following the ingestion of either pear juice (with approximately 2% sorbitol content) or the 2% sorbitol solution, in approximately 50% of those ingesting apple juice (0.5% sorbitol), and in 25% of those ingesting grape juice (no sorbitol) (P less than .001, analysis of variance). No differences were noted between the healthy children and those with chronic nonspecific diarrhea. Forty percent of all study subjects in whom excess breath hydrogen excretion occurred also had diarrhea and abdominal cramping. Carbohydrate malabsorption appears to be frequent following the ingestion of common fruit juices and in some children may be associated with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms.