Impact of Treatment with RUTF on Plasma Lipid Profiles of Severely Malnourished Pakistani Children.

Abstract

(1) Background: Little is known on impacts of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) treatment on lipid metabolism in children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). (2) Methods: We analyzed glycerophospholipid fatty acids (FA) and polar lipids in plasma of 41 Pakistani children with SAM before and after 3 months of RUTF treatment using gas chromatography and flow-injection analysis tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using univariate, multivariate tests and evaluated for the impact of age, sex, breastfeeding status, hemoglobin, and anthropometry. (3) Results: Essential fatty acid (EFA) depletion at baseline was corrected by RUTF treatment which increased EFA. In addition, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) and the ratio of arachidonic acid (AA)/linoleic acid increased reflecting greater EFA conversion to LC-PUFA, whereas Mead acid/AA decreased. Among phospholipids, lysophosphatidylcholines (lyso.PC) were most impacted by treatment; in particular, saturated lyso.PC decreased. Higher child age and breastfeeding were associated with great decrease in total saturated FA (ΣSFA) and lesser decrease in monounsaturated FA and total phosphatidylcholines (ΣPC). Conclusions: RUTF treatment improves EFA deficiency in SAM, appears to enhance EFA conversion to biologically active LC-PUFA, and reduces lipolysis reflected in decreased ΣSFA and saturated lyso.PC. Child age and breastfeeding modify treatment-induced changes in ΣSFA and ΣPC.

• Authors: Engy Shokry, Kamran Sadiq, Sajid Soofi, Atif Habib, Naveed Bhutto, Arjumand Rizvi, Imran Ahmad, Hans Demmelmair, Olaf Uhl, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Berthold Koletzko
• Journal: Nutrients (Nutrients) Vol. 12 Issue 7 (Jul 21 2020) ISSN: 2072-6643 [Electronic] Switzerland
• PMID: 32708260 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Fatty Acids, Essential
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
• Glycerophospholipids
• Lipids
• Lysophosphatidylcholines

Topics

• Age Factors
• Breast Feeding
• Child
• Child Nutrition Disorders (blood, diet therapy, metabolism)
• Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena (physiology)
• Child, Preschool
• Fast Foods
• Fatty Acids, Essential (blood)
• Fatty Acids, Unsaturated
• Female
• Foods, Specialized
• Glycerophospholipids (blood, metabolism)
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant Nutritional Physiological Phenomena (physiology)
• Lipid Metabolism
• Lipids (blood)
• Lysophosphatidylcholines (blood, metabolism)
• Male
• Pakistan
• Severity of Illness Index