American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 6, 526-530, Copyright © 1958 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

Metabolic Studies of Mongoloids

¹ From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health and the Department of Biochemistry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts

The metabolism of a number of water-soluble vitamins by mongoloid and non-mongoloid, all mentally deficient children, has been studied. Relatively little differences in the excretion of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, N-methylnicotinamide and vitamin C were observed prior to vitamin load tests. Following the load tests no significant difference was observed in the excretion of riboflavin by mongoloids and non-mongoloids and the excretion of thiamine although slightly greater in mongoloids was not marked. The administration of 100 mg of nicotinamide resulted in significantly less excretion of n-methylnicotinamide and creatinine by mongoloids than non-mongoloids. The possibility of a defect in the methylating ability of mongoloids has been suggested. Following the feeding of 5 g of dl-tryptophan, significant differences in n-methylnicotinamide and creatinine excretion were not observed, but the excretion of xanthurenic acid was lower in mongoloids than non-mongoloids.