INCAP Studies of Energy, Amino Acids, and Protein

Abstract

Exercise and growth in young childrenA universal finding among children who present with even mild-to-moderate protein-energy malnutrition or who could have had it when young (under 5 years of age) is stunting, measured as length or stature in relation to that of well-nourished children of the same age and sex. The precise mechanisms of stunting are not known, but a universal finding among children with protein-energy malnutrition is their relative inactivity and apathy. This led us to hypothesize that inactivity could play a role in stunting or that physical activity stimulated or allowed normal growth in length. We developed the following hypotheses: Children diminish spontaneous physical activity upon energy restriction, as we had demonstrated in physically active adult workers [1,2]. A double-blind pilot study was conducted in fully recovered, previously malnourished children in the Clinical Center at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP). Time-motion studies of these children showed that physical activity declined significantly when they consumed between 70 and 90 kcal/kg/day (the usual intake among preschool Guatemalan children) for 1 week compared with their spontaneous physical activity when they consumed between 120 and 150 kcal/ kg/day.Activity restriction in weanling rats hinders their growth even when food intake is adequate [3]. A series of studies was conducted comparing inactive with pair-fed active rats. The inactive rats were kept in

vProtein: Identifying Optimal Amino Acid Complements from Plant-Based Foods

“…As an example, work in 2010 suggests a slightly different IAA pattern for 2 year old children [27]. Optimal plant based pairings based on alternative IAA patterns can be generated by rerunning the optimization described in this paper.…”

INCAP Studies of Hematologic and Gastrointestinal Function in Healthy Individuals and those with Protein–Energy Malnutrition and Infection

“…Bacterial counts of the hands of women caring for the children and preparing food also showed a high level of fecal bacterial contamination [59]. Some aspects of the interrelationship of environmental and personal cleanliness with nutrient absorption and with energy and protein requirements in adults are presented in another paper in this Special Issue [60].…”

Use of bean grain-based mixtures in the baking industry

“…the amino acid score corrected for its digestibility based on the true faecal digestibility of protein as determined using the rat balance method), then this approach was the most suitable method for the routine assessment of the protein quality of vegetable protein products and other food products (Codex Alimentarius Commission, 1989). Amino acid score was based on the amount of the first limiting amino acid, and its calculation included the use of the requirement pattern suggested by the FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) for the preschool child based on human studies conducted at INCAP in the 1960s and 70s (Viteri, 2010). Because the proposed protein quality methodologies had broad implications beyond the specific purview of the CCVP, the CCVP recognized the need for the wider scientific community to address issues such as amino acid quantification, protein digestibility and amino acid bioavailability measurements, and respective correlations in humans.…”