Free Radicals and Malnutrition

A Study of Oxidative Stress Biomarkers and Effect of Oral Antioxidant Supplementation in Severe Acute Malnutrition

“…The scientists, Golden and Ramdath postulated that there was involvement of oxidative stress more than 10 years ago in the severe oedematous malnutrition syndrome [20]. Free radicals are unstable and very reactive.…”

Oedematous malnutrition

“…Our findings help to explain this on the grounds of similar mechanisms. However, in pellagra the niacin deficiency leads to a lack of reducing equivalents for oxidised glutathione due to a low concentration of NADPH, whereas in kwashiorkor the total NADP(H) levels are normal 48 and the oxidative stress comes from elsewhere.…”

“…We then investigated the enzymes responsible for maintaining glutathione in the reduced state, hexosemonophosphate shunt (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, G6PD; 6-phospho-gluconate dehydrogenase, 6PGD) and glutathione reductase, and found them to be much more active in all forms of malnutrition than in control children 48 . In response to an oxidative stress, there is increased activity of G6PD and 6PGD to provide additional NADPH for glutathione reduction.…”

Characterization and scoring of skin changes in severe acute malnutrition in children between 6 months and 5 years of age

“…The aetiology of the skin changes is still unknown . The ‘free radical hypothesis’ suggests an aetiological explanation to both skin changes and oedema . Apart from this theory, the present discussed aetiologies, are the role of essential fatty acids and the sulphur amino acids methionine and cysteine .…”