Dietary intake of sulfur amino acids and risk of kwashiorkor malnutrition in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Kwashiorkor is an often-fatal type of severe acute malnutrition affecting hundreds of thousands of children annually, but whose etiology is still unknown. Evidence suggests inadequate sulfur amino acid (SAA) status may explain many signs of the condition but studies evaluating dietary protein intake in relation to the genesis of kwashiorkor have been conflicting. We know of no studies of kwashiorkor that have measured dietary SAAs.

Objectives

We aimed to determine whether children in a population previously determined to have high prevalence of kwashiorkor [high-prevalence population (HPP)] have lower dietary intakes of SAAs than children in a low-prevalence population (LPP).

Methods

A cross-sectional census survey design of 358 children compared 2 previous

SUBMITTER: Fitzpatrick MC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8435999 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature