Nutritional status and extended metabolic screening in Egyptian children with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes

Abstract

Nutritional status assessment, including amino acids, carnitine, and acylcarnitine profile, is an important component of diabetes care management, influencing growth and metabolic regulation. A designed case–control research included 100 Egyptian participants (50 T1DM and 50 healthy controls) aged 6 to 18 years old. The participants' nutritional status was assessed using the Body Mass Index (BMI) Z-score. Extended metabolic screening (EMS) was performed using a high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectroscopy system to evaluate the levels of 14 amino acids, free carnitine, and 27 carnitine esters. T1DM children had considerably lower anthropometric Z-scores than the control group, with 16% undernutrition and 32% short stature. Total aromatic amino acids, phenylalanine, phenylalanine/tyrosine ratio, proline, arginine, leucine, isoleucine, free carnitine, and carnitine esters levels were considerably lower in the diabetic group, suggesting an altered amino acid and carnitine metabolism in type 1 diabetes. BMI Z-score showed a significant positive correlation with Leucine, Isoleucine, Phenylalanine, Citrulline, Tyrosine, Arginine, Proline, free carnitine, and some carnitine esters (Acetylcarnitine, Hydroxy-Isovalerylcarnitine, Hexanoylcarnitine, Methylglutarylcarnitine, Dodecanoylcarnitine, Tetradecanoylcarnitine, and Hexadecanoylcarnitine). HbA1c% had a significant negative correlation with Total aromatic amino acids, Branched-chain amino acid/Total aromatic amino acids ratio, Glutamic Acid, Citrulline, Tyrosine, Arginine, Proline, and certain carnitine esters (Propionylcarnitine, Methylglutarylcarnitine, Decanoylcarnitine, Octadecanoylcarnitine and Octadecenoylcarnitine), suggest that dysregulated amino acid and carnitine metabolism may be negatively affect the glycaemic control in children with TIDM. In conclusion, regular nutritional assessments including EMS of T1DM patients are critical in terms of diet quality and protein content for improved growth and glycemic management.