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Is Your Infant Fussy? It Could
be Digestion
 (ARA)
- Carbohydrate malabsorption may not be on the tip of every parent’s
tongue, but it is a commonplace yet often undiagnosed condition
that can significantly affect the health of your baby, according
to authors of a preliminary study published in the journal “Nutrition.”Carbohydrate
malabsorption is the inability to fully digest the naturally-occurring
sugars in foods and beverages. It is often silent and may not
be associated with easily recognized signs or symptoms, but it
can make babies restless, fussy, and less likely to sleep well.
In more severe cases, carbohydrate malabsorption can lead to
diarrhea, colicky behavior, or potentially slowed growth performance.
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In the study, infants five to six
months old who were less able to digest the sugars in one 4-ounce
juice serving expended more energy for the next three hours than
infants who tolerated the juice they were fed. The combination
of less energy absorbed and more energy expended when infants
are fed a juice that contains hard-to-digest carbohydrates could
contribute to concerns about any child who has subpar growth
performance. |
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“The inability to tolerate
certain carbohydrates can be serious in babies and toddlers,”
explains Dr. Fima Lifshitz, director of pediatrics and senior
nutrition scientist, Sansum Medical Research Institute, Santa
Barbara, Calif., and senior author of the study.
“In our study of 32 babies,
we observed that the babies who malabsorbed carbohydrates spent
more energy, had a higher calculated metabolic rate, and had
a trend towards reduced growth performance as measured by their
weight/length ratio. In previous studies we showed that even
for children without obvious symptoms, the restlessness and discomfort
associated with the condition can adversely affect parent-to-child
interaction and the enjoyment of a happy baby.”
“The good news is that carbohydrate
malabsorption may be controlled by making the right dietary decisions,”
adds Lifshitz. “We have seen in several previous clinical
studies a clear connection between perceptible carbohydrate malabsorption
and the type of juice the child is fed.”
Juices like apple and pear juice
contain several sugars that make them less digestible. They contain
sorbitol and have an imbalance of fructose and glucose, which
contributes to the problem of carbohydrate malabsorption, according
to the researchers. White grape juice, on the other hand, contains
no sorbitol and has an even balance of fructose and glucose.
Sorbitol is an indigestible sugar
alcohol found in many fruit juices. Fructose, when not balanced
by a similar amount of glucose, is also difficult for young children
to digest. Researchers attribute the symptoms of carbohydrate
malabsorption to the bacterial digestion of these undigested
carbohydrates in the lower intestine and colon. This creates
gas, which may then lead to restlessness and colicky-like symptoms.
“Were I advising a parent
of a young child on introducing a juice as a weaning food,”
says Lifshitz, “I would recommend the one containing the
appropriate blend of sugars -- white grape juice. The literature
clearly shows that babies are less likely to experience digestive
problems with this juice than with those with a more problematic
carbohydrate profile.”
Dr. Lifshitz emphasizes that
juice should be consumed in moderation, and encourages parents
to consult their pediatricians to find out the best age to introduce
juice to their babies. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
against introducing juice prior to 6 months of age. |
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