[Energy/protein ratio: new validation of its applicability to nutritional evaluation]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nutrition
• Anthropometry
• Body Composition Analysis

Background:

• Assessing nutritional status in children is crucial for growth and development.
• Traditional anthropometric measures have limitations in reflecting body composition.
• Arm measurements offer potential for evaluating adiposity and muscle mass.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a new anthropometric ratio, the energy/protein ratio (E/P).
• To assess the relationship between adiposity and muscle mass using the E/P ratio in healthy preschool children.
• To establish age- and sex-specific percentiles for the E/P ratio.

Main Methods:

• Developed the energy/protein ratio (E/P) using logarithmic transformations of tricipital skin fold and branchial muscle circumference.
• Conducted a study on healthy preschool children across 97 day-care centers in Havana.
• Collected anthropometric data and established percentile distributions for the E/P ratio by age and sex.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a significant relationship between adiposity and arm muscle mass, influenced by age, sex, and race.
• Confirmed the E/P ratio's reliability in assessing variations in muscle mass and energy-protein stores.
• Established age- and sex-dependent percentile values for the E/P ratio, showing normal distribution.

Conclusions:

• The energy/protein ratio (E/P) is a valuable new tool for nutritional assessment in children.
• The E/P ratio provides an easy-to-obtain and reliable method for evaluating body composition using arm measurements.
• This ratio can be applied to individual assessments and large-scale field studies, utilizing nomograms or computerized programs.