Urinary N-methylnicotinamide and β-aminoisobutyric acid predict catch-up growth in undernourished Brazilian children.

ABSTRACT: Enteric infections, enteropathy and undernutrition in early childhood are preventable risk factors for child deaths, impaired neurodevelopment, and later life metabolic diseases. However, the mechanisms linking these exposures and outcomes remain to be elucidated, as do biomarkers for identifying children at risk. By examining the urinary metabolic phenotypes of nourished and undernourished children participating in a case-control study in Semi-Arid Brazil, we identified key differences with potential relevance to mechanisms, biomarkers and outcomes. Undernutrition was found to perturb several biochemical pathways, including choline and tryptophan metabolism, while also increasing the proteolytic activity of the gut microbiome. Furthermore, a metabolic adaptation was observed in the undern

SUBMITTER: Mayneris-Perxachs J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4728399 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature