The Journal of nutrition
-
The Journal of nutrition · Feb 1999
ReviewSeparate and joint effects of micronutrient deficiencies on linear growth.
Recent studies have investigated the effect of micronutrient deficiencies on growth stunting, with special attention toward the effect of zinc, iron, vitamin A and iodine deficiencies. In Mexico, the prevalence of growth stunting in children <5 y old is approximately 24%; it is higher in rural areas and lower in urban areas. In an initial study, the effect of zinc and/or iron supplementation on linear growth was investigated in a longitudinal, placebo-controlled design. ⋯ This difference was not found in children of high socioeconomic status. It is suggested that, in most cases, growth stunting is associated with marginal deficiencies of several micronutrients and that in populations with multiple micronutrient deficiencies, the effect on linear growth of supplementation with single nutrients will not be significant. Supplementation with multiple micronutrients is expected to be more effective, but even in that case the actual increment in height was less than the expected potential increment.
-
The Journal of nutrition · Oct 1998
Comparative StudyThe effects of a high fat diet on leptin mRNA, serum leptin and the response to leptin are not altered in a rat strain susceptible to high fat diet-induced obesity.
Osborne-Mendel (OM) and S5B/Pl rats differ in their sensitivity to develop obesity when fed a high fat (HF) diet; OM rats become obese, whereas S5B/Pl rats remain thin. We have investigated the possibilities that either an impaired leptin response or resistance to leptin action underlies the sensitivity to this form of obesity in OM rats. In Experiment 1, OM and S5B/Pl rats fed a nonpurified diet were killed at d 0 or were fed either a HF (56% fat energy) or a low fat (LF, 10% fat energy) diet for 2 or 7 d. ⋯ There was a similar dose-dependent reduction in energy intake in response to leptin in both OM and S5B/Pl rats. These responses were independent of the diet. The data suggest that the susceptibility of OM rats to HF diet-induced obesity is not related to either a loss of central sensitivity to leptin or a failure to enhance leptin production acutely, although the failure to maintain chronically increased levels of serum leptin could contribute to the obesity.
-
The Journal of nutrition · Aug 1998
Malnutrition of children in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea.
Natural disasters have caused extensive damage to crops and to infrastructure in the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK). The international community has responded by providing emergency food aid. To improve understanding of the magnitude of food deficiency in the DPRK. ⋯ Additional information was obtained on institutional access to food and on the care, treatment and parental support of a subsample of severely malnourished and nonmalnourished children. The prevalence of acute malnutrition (wasting), based on weight-for-height Z-score < -2, varied from 0 to 32.7% among institutions, and the prevalence of chronic malnutrition (stunting), based on height-for-age < -2 Z-score varied from 0.6 to 74.1%. The findings from this survey indicate the presence of areas with severe acute or chronic malnutrition in the DPRK.
-
The Journal of nutrition · Aug 1998
Fibrinogen synthesis is elevated in fasting cancer patients with an acute phase response.
The unusual amino acid composition of acute phase proteins may be relevant to our understanding of the mechanism of tissue wasting in chronic inflammatory disease. During periods in which demand for amino acids outstrips dietary supply, skeletal muscle protein may be mobilized to meet this demand. An imbalance in the amino acid composition of these proteins may thus be detrimental to the body's nitrogen economy. ⋯ Assuming that tryptophan is limiting, up to 2.6 g muscle protein ( approximately 12 g skeletal muscle tissue) may be wasted to synthesize 1 g fibrinogen. Interpretation of the observation that circulating free tryptophan concentrations were significantly reduced in the cancer patients will have to await flux measurements. The metabolic changes accompanying the inflammatory response suggest that down-regulation of this process may be beneficial.
-
The Journal of nutrition · May 1998
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical TrialIron nutritional status is improved in Brazilian preterm infants fed food cooked in iron pots.
To determine the efficacy of cooking food in iron pots to prevent anemia in premature infants, a longitudinal study on iron nutritional status was conducted in preterm, healthy infants from families of low socioeconomic level between mo 4 and 12 of life. The infants were divided randomly into two groups. The study group consisted of 22 infants whose food was cooked in iron pots; the control group consisted of 23 infants whose food was cooked in aluminum pots. ⋯ Iron deficiency anemia (hemoglobin