Impact of Animal Source Foods on Growth, Morbidity and Iron Bioavailability in Kenyan School Children
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Impact of animal source foods on growth, morbidity and iron bioavailability in Kenyan school children Monika Grillenberger Promotoren Prof. Dr. Joseph G.A.J. Hautvast Hoogleraar Voeding en Gezondheid Wageningen Universiteit Prof. Dr. Ir. Frans J. Kok Hoogleraar Voeding en Gezondheid Wageningen Universiteit Co-promotor Prof. Dr. Charlotte G. Neumann Professor in Community Health Sciences and Pediatrics School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, USA Promotiecommissie Prof. Dr. Wija A. van Staveren Wageningen Universiteit Dr. Jules J.M. Tolboom Universitair Medisch Centrum St Radboud, Nijmegen Prof. Dr. Ir. Martin W.A. Verstegen Wageningen Universiteit Dr. Ir. Marti van Liere Unilever Health Institute, Vlaardingen Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd binnen de onderzoekschool VLAG. Impact of animal source foods on growth, morbidity and iron bioavailability in Kenyan school children Monika Grillenberger Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor op gezag van de rector magnificus van Wageningen Universiteit, Prof. Dr. M.J. Kropff, in het openbaar te verdedigen op woensdag 19 april 2006 des namiddags te vier uur in de Aula. Impact of animal source foods on growth, morbidity and iron bioavailability in Kenyan school children / Monika Grillenberger Thesis Wageningen University, The Netherlands – with summaries in Dutch and German ISBN 90-8504-387-5 To all children “We must move children to the centre of the world’s agenda. We must rewrite strategies to reduce poverty so that investments in children are given priority. Any country, any society, which does not care for its children, is no nation at all." -Nelson Mandela, The State of the World's Children, www.unicef.org Abstract Simultaneous multiple micronutrient deficiencies that are highly prevalent in developing countries can impair growth and immunity with an increased risk of morbidity, mortality, and poor psychomotor development. Animal source foods can provide highly bioavailable micronutrients and improve the absorption of micronutrients from plant foods that are less bioavailable. The research presented in this thesis is part of a randomised controlled feeding intervention study that was carried out in order to examine the efficacy of animal source foods in improving cognitive function, growth, and morbidity in rural Kenyan children. Food supplements were provided for two years as a mid-morning snack to children aged 6-9 years from twelve primary schools (n 554). The habitual diet mainly consists of maize and beans with little or no animal source foods and children suffer from stunting and micronutrient deficiencies. Schools were randomly assigned to four study groups: 1) Control: no food supplement provided; 2) Energy supplement: a food supplement based on a local dish of maize, beans and vegetables (githeri); 3) Milk supplement: githeri plus a glass of milk (200 mL); and 4) Meat supplement: githeri with 60 g minced beef. The food supplements were approximately isoenergetic and contained an estimated energy content of ~250 kcal/serving (1050 kJ) during the first three months of the intervention and were then modified to obtain a total energy content of ~300 kcal/serving (1255 kJ). The supplements would supply ~20% of the daily energy requirement, yet the meat supplement would provide highest proportions of recommended amounts of micronutrients, particularly vitamin B12, bioavailable iron and bioavailable zinc, and the milk supplement would provide highest proportions of recommended amounts of vitamin A, riboflavin, calcium and phosphorus. Thus dietary quality would be improved for children receiving the meat or milk supplement compared with children receiving the energy supplement, and dietary quantity would be improved for all supplemented children compared with children in the control group. Weight gain was significantly higher (~10%) in the children receiving any type of food supplement compared with the control group. However, it remains unsolved if it was the energy and/or nutrients provided by the food supplements that resulted in the observed improvement in weight. No overall effect of the food supplementation was found on height. Children receiving the milk supplement who were more stunted gained 1.3 cm (15%) more height than children in the control group. Children receiving the meat supplement gained ~80% more mid-upper-arm muscle area (MMA) than those in the control group and ~30% more than those receiving the milk or energy supplement. Children receiving the milk supplement gained ~40% more MMA than those in the control group. No effects of the food supplements were found on measures of body fat. Analyses of the total diet of the children, i.e., their home diet and the food supplements, revealed that energy from animal source foods, but not total energy, was predictive of gain in height, weight, MMA, and mid-upper-arm fat area. Further, haem iron, preformed vitamin A, calcium and vitamin B12 positively predicted height and weight gain. In contrast, nutrients predominantly found in plant foods and dietary components that inhibit micronutrient absorption, such as fibre and phytate, negatively predicted the children’s growth. No effect of any of the food supplements was found on common childhood diseases or indicators of illness severity, but there was the trend that predicted risks were lowest for children receiving the milk supplement for most of the morbidity outcomes. The amount of absorbed iron in the habitual diet of the children was very low (0.56 ± 0.47 mg/d) due to the high amount of iron absorption inhibitors in the diet. Simulations of different household dietary strategies revealed that the combined addition of meat and ascorbic acid to a meal was the most efficacious approach to reduce the prevalence of inadequate iron intake, which was estimated to be 77% in the habitual diet. The findings of the study indicate that animal source foods can improve iron bioavailability and are beneficial for growth. An increase in the consumption of animal source foods should therefore be part of any program aiming at alleviating micronutrient malnutrition in children in developing countries. Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 11 Chapter 2 Food supplements have a positive impact on weight gain 43 and the addition of animal source foods increases lean body mass of rural Kenyan school children Chapter 3 Intake of micronutrients high in animal source foods is 61 associated with better growth in rural Kenyan school children Chapter 4 Impact of supplementation with animal source foods on morbidity 81 of rural Kenyan school children Chapter 5 High prevalence of inadequate iron intake in rural 99 Kenyan school children Chapter 6 The potential of household dietary strategies to improve iron 113 nutrition in rural Kenyan school children Chapter 7 General discussion 127 Summary 149 Samenvatting 155 Zusammenfassung 161 Acknowledgements 167 Curriculum Vitae 171 List of publications 172 Educational programme 173 11 IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn CHAPTER 1 MICRONUTRIENT MALNUTRITION IN CHILDREN IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Prevalence, causes and consequences of micronutrient deficiencies The global elimination or reduction of micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iodine, vitamin A and iron deficiencies were set goals at several international meetings such as the World Summit for Children in 1990. However micronutrient malnutrition is still widely prevalent among children in developing countries and probably the main nutritional problem in the world posing important public health problems with long-term effects on human capital and national economic growth. Besides iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin A deficiency and iodine deficiency disorders, deficiencies of zinc, vitamin B12, folate and others are increasingly recognised. Micronutrient deficiencies that often co-exist with protein-energy malnutrition are not only caused by high morbidity rates and insufficient food quantity, but also by the low quality of the diet common in many areas in developing countries. Diets usually contain few animal products, fruits and vegetables, and predominantly consist of cereals, tubers and legumes. This type of diet is associated with low intakes of several vitamins and minerals and poor mineral bioavailability. It is now known that many population groups do not suffer from single, but from simultaneous deficiencies of multiple nutrients1. The term poverty micronutrient malnutrition trap has been used to highlight the fact that poverty and micronutrient malnutrition positively influence each other2. Iron deficiency (with or without anaemia) is the most common micronutrient deficiency world- wide, affecting more than 3.5 billion people in developing countries1. Consequences for children are impaired motor and mental development, impaired immune function, growth retardation, reduced appetite and decreased physical activity. These can result in increased morbidity and educational losses. Main causes for iron deficiency anaemia in developing countries are low intakes of bioavailable iron and infections with intestinal parasites3. Iodine deficiency affects an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide with the possible consequences of severe mental retardation, goitre, hypothyroidism, abortion, stillbirths and low birth weight. Iodine deficiency during early life also adversely affects learning ability, motivation, school performance, motor development and general cognitive function. National salt iodisation programmes have accelerated over recent years and now globally ~70% of households in