Effect of Diet on Serum Protein Fractions of Hong Kong Chinese Children , ,

Abstract

The effect on the blood serum protein fractions of substituting wheat for approximately one-half the rice in the ordinary diet of 288 Chinese orphanage children was investigated over a 12-month period. The children ranged in age from 8 to 16 years at the beginning of the experiment. Blood samples taken before initiation of controlled diets, and after the children had received the experimental diets for 12 months were analyzed for total serum proteins and for five serum protein fractions. After 12 months, serum albumin levels were significantly higher for all age groups of children fed a combination of rice and wheat than for those fed rice alone. Total serum protein values tended to be lower for children fed the rice-wheat diet than for those fed the rice diet. All globulin fractions tended to be lower is response to the rice-wheat than to the rice diet. The greatest differences in various serum protein fractions between dietary treatments occurred at 10 to 11 years, suggesting that this was a critical age in the nutritional development of these children. The superior protein status of children fed the rice-wheat diet was indicated by higher concentrations of serum albumin and lower concentrations of serum globulins.