Evaluation of malto-dextrin/glycine oral rehydration solution.

The efficacy and safety of malto-dextrin/glycine-based oral rehydration solution (ORS) when compared with the glucose-based oral rehydration solution (WHO) was evaluated in a randomized double-blind clinical trial. Thirty-one subjects and 31 controls were studied. The mean values of the ORS intake, stool output, duration of diarrhoea, urine output, weight gain and serum electrolytes were comparable in both the study and the control groups (p > 0.05). It was found that the malto-dextrin/glycine ORS offered no therapeutic advantage over the standard glucose ORS (WHO). In view of the accidental preponderance of children of significantly lower nutritional status among the control group (p < 0.05), it is likely that the efficacy of malto-dextrin/glycine ORS might actually be less than that of the glucose ORS.