Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33963736›Full record

ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2021

Dietary intake of sulfur amino acids and risk of kwashiorkor malnutrition in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Merry C Fitzpatrick, Anura V Kurpad, Christopher P Duggan, Shibani Ghosh, Daniel G Maxwell

Open access · bronzeAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Merry C FitzpatrickFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8150-5622
Anura V KurpadDivision of Nutrition, St John's Research Institute and St John's Medical College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.ORCID 0000-0001-7998-2438
Christopher P DugganCenter for Nutrition, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8083-8193
Shibani GhoshFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5893-6774
Daniel G MaxwellFriedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1223-9196
Tufts University · USBoston Children's Hospital · USSt.John's Medical College Hospital · IN

Funding

ROLE OF DIETARY CONSTITUENTS ON GENE EXPRESSION IN INTESTINAL EPITHELIUMP30DK040561 · NIDDK · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI CHRISTOPHER P DUGGAN · 1994 to 2026
$31.6M
Patient-oriented Research in Pediatric Diarrheal DiseasesK24DK104676 · NIDDK · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI DUGGAN, CHRISTOPHER P · 2015 to 2019
$903k
NIDDK NIH HHS K24 DK104676NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK040561NIH HHS K24 DK104676
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundKwashiorkor is an often-fatal type of severe acute malnutrition affecting hundreds of thousands of children annually, but whose etiology is still unknown. Evidence suggests inadequate sulfur amino acid (SAA) status may explain many signs of the condition but studies evaluating dietary protein intake in relation to the genesis of kwashiorkor have been conflicting. We know of no studies of kwashiorkor that have measured dietary SAAs.

objectivesWe aimed to determine whether children in a population previously determined to have high prevalence of kwashiorkor [high-prevalence population (HPP)] have lower dietary intakes of SAAs than children in a low-prevalence population (LPP).

methodsA cross-sectional census survey design of 358 children compared 2 previously identified adjacent populations of children 36-59 mo old in North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Data collected included urinary thiocyanate (SCN), cyanogens in cassava-based food products, recent history of illness, and a 24-h quantitative diet recall for the child.

resultsThe HPP and LPP had kwashiorkor prevalence of 4.5% and 1.7%, respectively. A total of 170 children from 141 households in the LPP and 169 children from 138 households in the HPP completed the study. A higher proportion of HPP children had measurable urinary SCN (44.8% compared with 29.4%, P < 0.01). LPP children were less likely to have been ill recently (26.8% compared with 13.6%, P < 0.01). Median [IQR] intake of SAAs was 32.4 [22.9-49.3] mg/kg for the LPP and 29.6 [18.1-44.3] mg/kg for the HPP (P < 0.05). Methionine was the first limiting amino acid in both populations, with the highest risk of inadequate intake found among HPP children (35.1% compared with 23.6%, P < 0.05).

conclusionsChildren in a population with a higher prevalence of kwashiorkor have lower dietary intake of SAAs than children in a population with a lower prevalence. Trial interventions to reduce incidence of kwashiorkor should consider increasing SAA intake, paying particular attention to methionine.

Indexed as

DietFeeding BehaviorNutritional StatusAmino Acids, SulfurChild Nutrition DisordersChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesDemocratic Republic of the CongoDietary ProteinsDiet SurveysHumansKwashiorkorManihotMethionineRisk FactorsSevere Acute MalnutritionAmino Acids, SulfurDietary ProteinsMethionine24-h recallCongocysteinedietedematous malnutritionkwashiorkormethionineprotein

Identifiers

PMID33963736
PMCPMC8435999
OpenAlexW3159026058

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.