K. Becker et al., ANTIOXIDANT VITAMINS IN MALNOURISHED NIGERIAN CHILDREN, International journal for vitamin and nutrition research, 64(4), 1994, pp. 306-310
The antioxidant capacity in malnutrition - as far as it is related to
vitamins - was studied by determining the plasma concentrations of the
most prominent antioxidant vitamins (retinol, tocopherols, carotenoid
s, cryptoxanthine, lycopene, and ubiquinone-10) in marasmic (M; n=15),
severe marasmic (SM; n=8), kwashiorkor (KW; n=12), and normally nouri
shed (CO; n=18) children in Nigeria. Retinol was found to be reduced i
n severe marasmic children when compared to focal controls (medians an
d interquartile ranges; SM: 155 mu g/l, 117-178 mu g/l; CO: 281 mu/l 2
09-413 mu g/l; p < 0.005). A strong correlation between plasma retinol
and retinol binding protein could be found in all groups (SM: r=0.79;
M: r=0.93; KW: r=0.80; CO: r=0.70). The tocopherol/lipid-ratio was lo
wered in kwashiorkor (median 0.48 mg/g, interquartile range 0.41-0.66
mg/g). A sufficient tocopherol status was only found in one child with
kwashiorkor: alpha-Carotene, beta-carotene, cryptoxanthine and lycope
ne were below the detection limits in most of the malnourished childre
n. Plasma ubiquinone-10 was significantly higher in kwashiorkor (media
n 1.05 mu g/ml, interquartile range 0.88-1.17 mu g/ml) than in all oth
er groups (CO: 0.71 mu g/ml, 0.55-0.99 mu g/ml: M: 0.72 mu g/ml, 0.65-
0.83 mu g/ml; SM: 0.89 mu g/ml, 0.61-0.83 mu g/ml). It is concluded th
at a depletion of antioxidant vitamins is present in malnourished Nige
rian children, especially pronounced in the kwashiorkor syndrome. The
mechanisms lending to elevated plasma ubiquinone-10 in kwashiorkor req
uire further studies. (C) 1994 Hogrefe and Huber Publishers