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Does serum albumin/phospholipid index better reflect overall protein status in man?

O O Ogunkeye1, S I Ighogboja, K O Adeniyi

  • 1Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Jos, Nigeria.

International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition
|May 1, 1996
PubMed

Insights

The serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) can distinguish malnourished children from well-nourished ones. However, it may not offer advantages over serum albumin alone for assessing protein status.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Clinical Nutrition
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Serum albumin concentration is a standard but insufficient indicator of protein status.
  • Malnourished children exhibit increased serum phospholipid levels as protein status declines.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of the serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) in assessing protein status.
  • To compare API with serum albumin in distinguishing malnourished from well-nourished individuals.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) in healthy adults and malnourished/well-nourished children.
  • Compared API values between groups, including age- and sex-matched controls.

Main Results:

  • API effectively differentiated malnourished children from their well-nourished counterparts.
  • No significant difference in API was observed between well-nourished children and adults.
  • Serum albumin alone also demonstrated discrimination between malnourished and well-nourished children.

Conclusions:

  • The serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) shows potential in identifying protein malnutrition in children.
  • API may not offer a significant improvement over serum albumin alone for protein status assessment in humans.

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