Evolution of the biochemical profile of children treated or undergoing treatment for moderate or severe stunting:

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One-step Metabolomics: Carbohydrates, Organic and Amino Acids Quantified in a Single Procedure
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One-step Metabolomics: Carbohydrates, Organic and Amino Acids Quantified in a Single Procedure

Published on: June 25, 2010

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Jullyana F R Alves1, Revilane P A Britto2, Haroldo S Ferreira1

  • 1School of Nutrition, Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Maceió, AL, Brazil.

Jornal De Pediatria
|February 18, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Nutritional treatment improved height-for-age z-score (HAZ) and triglycerides (TG) in stunted children. While high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) increased, total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) remained elevated, possibly due to metabolic programming.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Biochemistry
  • Growth and Development

Background:

  • Childhood stunting is a significant public health issue with potential long-term metabolic consequences.
  • Nutritional interventions aim to reverse growth deficits and improve overall health outcomes in malnourished children.
  • Understanding the biochemical changes associated with stunting and its treatment is crucial for optimizing care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the biochemical profile changes in children undergoing nutritional treatment for moderate to severe stunting.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of a nutrition recovery program on growth and metabolic markers.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on 263 children aged 1-6 years diagnosed with moderate or severe stunting.
  • Data on socioeconomic factors, diet, height-for-age z-score (HAZ), and biochemical markers were collected before and after nutritional intervention.
  • Statistical analysis was performed to determine significant changes in HAZ and biochemical parameters.

Main Results:

  • Nutritional intervention led to significant improvements in HAZ for both moderate and severe stunting.
  • Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels increased, while triglycerides (TG) decreased significantly in treated children.
  • High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) showed a significant increase after three years, but total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) remained high.

Conclusions:

  • Nutritional treatment effectively reduces stunting and improves TG and HDL-C levels in children.
  • Persistently high LDL-C and TC levels suggest potential metabolic programming due to early-life malnutrition.
  • Further research into the long-term metabolic implications of malnutrition and its treatment is warranted.
Abstract

Keywords:
DislipidemiasDoenças metabólicasDyslipidemiaFator de crescimento insulina‐símile IInsulin growth factor‐like IMetabolic diseasesNanismoNutritional recoveryRecuperação nutricionalStunting

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