Barr R G, Pantel M S, Young S N, Wright J H, Hendricks L A, Gravel R
The Department of Pediatrics, School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Physiol Behav. 1999 May;66(3):409-17. doi: 10.1016/s0031-9384(98)00294-7.
Intraoral sucrose (and other sweet carbohydrates) induce rapid and sustained calming in crying newborns and transiently increase mouthing and hand-mouth contact ("sucrose effects"). To investigate whether these effects are due to the sweetness of sucrose, 60 crying newborns were randomized to receive 250 microL of 24% sucrose solution, 0.12% of aspartame solution of equivalent sweetness (to adults), or 24% polycose, a soluble carbohydrate that is only very slightly sweet (to adults), as well as water in a mixed parallel crossover design. Relative to water, sucrose persistently reduced crying, and transiently increased mouthing and hand-mouth contact, as previously demonstrated. Aspartame also reduced crying, and transiently increased mouthing and hand-mouth contact, virtually mimicking the time course and the magnitude of the effects obtained in response to sucrose. By contrast, polycose solution had no specific effects on crying, mouthing, or hand-mouth contact. The results imply that the responses of crying newborns to intraoral sucrose are neither specific to sucrose nor to the general class of carbohydrates, and that these effects are more appropriately understood as "sweetness" effects.
口腔内给予蔗糖（以及其他甜味碳水化合物）可使哭闹的新生儿迅速且持续地安静下来，并短暂增加其吮舔动作以及手与嘴的接触（“蔗糖效应”）。为了探究这些效应是否归因于蔗糖的甜味，60名哭闹的新生儿被随机分为四组，采用混合平行交叉设计分别接受250微升24%的蔗糖溶液、甜度与蔗糖相当（对成年人而言）的0.12%阿斯巴甜溶液、一种甜度极低（对成年人而言）的可溶性碳水化合物24%的聚葡萄糖溶液，以及水。与水相比，蔗糖持续减少哭闹，并短暂增加吮舔动作以及手与嘴的接触，这与之前的研究结果一致。阿斯巴甜也能减少哭闹，并短暂增加吮舔动作以及手与嘴的接触，实际上模拟了对蔗糖反应所获得的效应的时间进程和程度。相比之下，聚葡萄糖溶液对哭闹、吮舔动作或手与嘴的接触没有特定影响。结果表明，哭闹的新生儿对口腔内蔗糖的反应既不是蔗糖特有的，也不是碳水化合物这一类别所共有的，这些效应更恰当地应被理解为“甜味”效应。
