INTAKE FROM AN ENERGY-DENSE PORRIDGE LIQUEFIED BY AMYLASE OF GERMINATED WHEAT - A CONTROLLED TRIAL IN SEVERELY MALNOURISHED CHILDREN DURINGCONVALESCENCE FROM DIARRHEA

Objective: To evaluate the role of an energy-dense diet liquefied with amylase-rich flour from germinated wheat (ARF) in increasing the ener gy intake in severely malnourished infants and young children and its acceptability to mothers. Design: A randomized controlled clinical tri al with two sets of controls. Setting: Nutrition rehabilitation unit o f a large diarrhoea treatment centre where mothers stay with their ver y severely malnourished children. Subjects: 78 severely malnourished c hildren aged 5-18 months just recovered from diarrhoea. Intervention: Children were randomly assigned to receive either an energy-dense porr idge made liquid by adding ARF (test diet) or an unaltered thick porri dge of similar energy density (control 1 diet), or the porridge made l iquid with addition of water to have the same viscosity as the test di et but of lower energy (control 2 diet), in four major meals a day for 5 days and intake was measured; breast-milk was measured by test weig hing. Children also received an additional three milk-cereal meals a d ay. Results: The mean energy intake (95% Cl, P value for difference be tween test and control) was 385 (339-431), 289 (251-327, P < 0.005), a nd 255 (222-289, P < 0.001) kJ/kg. d respectively. Feeding test diet w as not associated with significant adverse effects e.g. on diarrhoea, vomiting, breast-milk intake, and was well accepted by mothers. Conclu sion: The results suggest that use of an energy-dense ARF-treated liqu efied porridge increases calorie intake by very severely malnourished children during convalescence from diarrhoea, and that it does not pro duce any adverse effect. Descriptors: Amylase, calorie intake, energy- dense meals, germinated wheat, malnourished children, viscosity.