ARS | Publication request: RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN BLOOD NUTRIENT LEVELS AND FOOD RECORDS IN FAILURE TO THRIVE CHILDREN

Submitted to: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Conference
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: January 3, 2003
Publication Date: March 17, 2003
Citation: DYKMAN, R.A., CASEY, P.H., WIGGINS, P.A., BRACKENBURY, J.F., TENNAL, K.B., PIVIK, R.T. ARE BLOOD CHEMISTRIES RELATED TO FOOD RECORDS IN FAILURE TO THRIVE?. FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY CONFERENCE. 2003. v. 17(5). p. A729. Abstract No. 445.7.

Interpretive Summary: Failure to thrive (FTT) is a condition in which otherwise normal children grow at rates below the norm, but apparently consume the same amount of food. The ACNC has been interested the brain function of these children and in determining more about their growth in relation to their food intake and nutritional status. In the current study food intake (3-day record) and blood chemistries of infants and toddlers diagnosed with FTT were compared with the same measures in normally growing controls. Controls matched the FTT subjects in age, sex, race, and social status. Little relation was found between measures of 28 nutrients in the blood and 122 determined from food intake records, and differences between groups on these measures were minimal. Since FTT subjects continue to be growth-challenged despite apparently adequate food intake, these results suggest that the bioavailability of nutrients from food intake is different in FTTs than in controls. Further controlled studies are required to document these results and determine the mechanisms underlying these effects.

Technical Abstract: Studies of failure to thrive (FTT) infants/toddlers indicate positive relationships between food intake (FI) and blood chemistry (BC) variables, particularly for severely malnourished children. Factor analyses of 118 nutrients [Nutrient Data System for Research analyses based on 3-day Food Records (FRs)] and 28 BC measures (obtained at time of visit) from 81 FTTs and 52 controls (ages 6-27 months and not impoverished) suggest appreciable independence of BC and FI variables. Only 10 of the 894 correlations were >.40. However, the number of low level significant correlations (' .40) exceeded chance (p<.001). Of 13 FI nutrients differentiating the groups (p<.05), only 8 (lactose, maltose, ash, beta-cryptoxanthin, natural folate, synthetic folate, and capric and arachidic acid) were significant with age as a covariate. Of these, maltose, capric acid, and synthetic folate were higher in FTT children. Six BC variables discriminated groups, but only 4 (alkaline phosphatase, sodium, magnesium and folate) were significant with age controlled.(only folate serum was higher in FTTs). Caloric intake for FTT subjects was not 1.5 -2.0 higher as recommended for catch-up growth. Most of the FTTs (excluding the oldest group) had slightly lower kcal intake than controls of the same age, but all values were within recommended requirements for normal children. While home visits may be needed to improve the accuracy of intakes, these preliminary data suggest that FTT children may have lower nutrient bioavailability than controls of the same age. Supported in part by the Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center through USDA ARS CRIS # 6251-51000-002-03S