American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 11, 517-524, Copyright © 1962 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

The Free Amino Acids in Blood Plasma of Children with Kwashiorkor and Marasmus

¹ From the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), Guatemala, C. A.

The plasma-free amino acids of five children with kwashiorkor and two with marasmus have been determined by ion-exchange column chromatography. In agreement with previous workers, the total -amino acids in children with kwashiorkor were found to be approximately half of those in healthy children. In general, the amino acids most affected were the essential ones with the exception of lysine and phenylalanine. Of the nonessential amino acids, tyrosine, cystine and arginine were the lowest in concentration. Similar changes were observed in the two children with marasmus. In two children with kwashiorkor, the increases in the individual plasma amino acids two and a half hours after a milk feeding did not tend to correct the disproportions found in their fasting amino acid pattern.