Efficient products from amaranth in a gluten-free nutrition of children with gluten intolerance

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the tolerability and effectiveness of the inclusion of products from amaranth to the regular children's diet during long glutenfree diet (GFD) therapy. The study included 37 children aged from 1 year to 17 years, the experience of compliance with a GFD was from 6 months to 16 years. Patients underwent an assessment of nutritional status: indicators of physical development by WHO percentile tables; clinical (erythrocytes, hemoglobin, leukocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes) and biochemical (protein, albumin, iron, ionized calcium, selenium, copper) blood indicators. After that, children diet was supplemented with products from amaranth, which they constantly ate for 9-12 months. Quality and compliance difficulties of GFD were also examined using specially designed questionnaire filled in by parents. After 9-12 months of optimized GFD the examination of children and parents questioning was repeated. Long-term regular usage of amaranth products in GDB was accompanied by an improvement of indicators of nutritional status of patients: decrease in the number of children with underweight from from 16.25 to 10.8% and increase in the patients with normal body weight from 51.4 to 56.8%; reduction in the number of children with abnormal low rise from 10.8 to 5.4%, an increase of children with an average growth from 59.5 to 67.6%. The relative number of children with a decreased level of ionized calcium in the blood serum decreased from 37.8 to 10.8%. Normalization of decreased blood serum levels of iron, copper and zinc was observed in all patients who had a deficiency of these trace elements, in 13.5, 8 and 16.2% of children respectively. Difficulties in complying with the strict diet therapy are mainly social in nature. Products of amaranth tested in the course of the study were well tolerated, allergic and dyspeptic reactions were not noted. 89.2% of parents commented positively on the new gluten-free amaranth products.