A fortified corn/soy atole increases linear growth and decreases morbidity over a 2.5 year period in urban Guatemalan toddlers and young children

Abstract

A long term feeding study was undertaken in the Guatemala City municipal nurseries in February 2010 to evaluate the effects of micronutrient supplementation on iron status, growth and morbidity. Chispuditos®, a corn/soy atole beverage mix providing 21 vitamins and minerals (12 mg iron and 9 mg zinc per day) was fed to 317 children under the supervision of nursery staff. In children (n=55) that entered the study with HAZ<−2, HAZ scores improved from −2.59 at inception to −1.93 in June 2012 (P<0.01). The proportion of children with HAZ<−2 decreased from 16.5 to 8.20% (P=0.013) during this time period. The incidence of anemia at study initiation was 11.9% and decreased to 4.12% (P<0.01). Children that were anemic (hemoglobin, Hb, < 11.0 g/dL) at study initiation had Hb increase from 10.44 to 12.36 g/dL (P<0.01). The incidence of acute diarrhea decreased from 11.2% to 6.8% (P<.001), and acute respiratory infections decreased from 11.2% to 6.8% (P<0.001) in the general nursery population. Data from this nursery population suggest that improvements in iron status plateau within one year while improvements in linear growth continue. It is concluded that providing a micronutrient‐fortified atole results in sustained improvements in linear growth and decreased morbidity in this population. This study was supported by the Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition and Fundación Castillo Córdova.