Nutritional support with nucleotide addition favors immune response in severely malnourished infants

Adequate nutritional support of severe primary protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is indispensable for achieving normal immune response. However, an ideal dietetic criterion has not yet been established or accepted by the majority of health professionals caring for malnourished infants. Our objective was to demonstrate improvement in immune response in infants with PEM who received starting infant formula with nucleotides.

Twelve malnourished infants 3-18 months of age were included in our study and were fed through a nasogastric tube with infant formula (3.35 kJ/mL) for 2 weeks and ad libitum for an additional 2 weeks. Anthropometric measurements and immunologic indicators such as phagocytosis, microbicidal activity, chemotaxis, and cell proliferation index were determined. The sample was divided into two groups; group 1 (n=6) was fed formula with nucleotides added, while group 2 (n=6) was fed a formula with no nucleotides. Paired t test was used to determine differences between initial and final results for each group for comparison between group 1 vs. group 2; a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used for immunologic indicators.

Comparison of immunologic indicators showed no significant difference between groups. Groups 1 and 2 showed improvement in phagocytosis and microbicidal activity (p <0.05) and group 2 additionally showed improvement in cell proliferation index.

Infant formula with intake of 837 kJ/kg/d (200 kcal/kg/d) and proteins of 4 g/kg/d in infants with PEM had a favorable impact on immunologic indicators regardless of addition of nucleotides.