American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 20, 954-959, Copyright © 1967 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Growth of Hong Kong Children

On Diets Containing Rice or Rice and Wheat with and without Nutrient Supplements

¹ From U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Washington, D. C. 20250

No significant differences occurred in tile growth in height and weight of the children during a 12-month study as a result of the kind of cereal grain in the diet—rice or a combination of rice and wheat.

The growth of the children who received a vitamin-mineral supplement with or without the added protein did not differ from that of the children on the supplemented diets.

During the year of this study, children on the rice and on the rice-wheat diets without a vitamin-mineral supplement had average daily intakes of 410 and 370 mg of calcium, respectively. Their gain in height and weight was not significantly different from that of the children whose daily intakes ranged from 750 to 840 mg of calcium for the 12-month period.

When judged by the increase in height and weight of children over a 12-month period, wheat was an adequate replacement for half of the usual amounts of rice in the diet. If wheat is to be used to extend rice supplies, however, care must be taken to provide it in acceptable forms.