AJCN North Carolina Research Campus
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Badaloo, A. V
Right arrow Articles by Jahoor, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Badaloo, A. V
Right arrow Articles by Jahoor, F.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Badaloo, A. V
Right arrow Articles by Jahoor, F.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 83, No. 6, 1283-1288, June 2006
© 2006 American Society for Nutrition

ORIGINAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATION

Lipid kinetic differences between children with kwashiorkor and those with marasmus1,2,3

Asha V Badaloo, Terrence Forrester, Marvin Reid and Farook Jahoor

1 From the Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, Tropical Medicine Research Institute, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica (AVB, TF, and MR), and the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (FJ)

Background:It has been hypothesized that one factor associated with poor prognosis in kwashiorkor, but not in marasmus, is impaired lipid catabolism, which limits the supply of energy that is essential for survival when dietary intake is inadequate. However, this hypothesis has not been tested.

Objective:The objective was to measure lipid kinetics in malnourished children with kwashiorkor or marasmus.

Design:Glycerol concentration and flux (index of total lipolysis), palmitate concentration and flux (index of net lipolysis), and palmitate oxidation rate (index of fatty acid oxidation) were measured in 8 children (n = 5 boys and 3 girls) with kwashiorkor and 7 (n = 4 boys and 3 girls) with marasmus, aged 4–20 mo, in the postabsorptive state. The measurements were made {approx}3 d after admission, when the children were malnourished, and after the children attained normal weight-for-length, ie, at recovery.

Results:The glycerol concentration was higher in the malnourished stage than at recovery for the marasmus and kwashiorkor groups combined. Glycerol flux tended to be lower (P = 0.067) and palmitate flux significantly lower (P < 0.05) in the kwashiorkor group than in the marasmus group. Palmitate oxidation was significantly lower in the malnourished stage than at recovery in the kwashiorkor group but not in the marasmus group. In the malnourished stage, palmitate oxidation was slower in the kwashiorkor group than in the marasmus group, but no significant differences between groups were observed at recovery.

Conclusions:Children with kwashiorkor break down fat and oxidize fatty acids less efficiently than do children with marasmus; this factor may explain the better survival rate in marasmus.

Key Words: Malnutrition • children • lipolysis • palmitate • lipid oxidation • marasmus • kwashiorkor






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by The American Society for Nutrition