Growth and nitrogen retention of children consuming all of the day's protein intake in one meal

Abstract

To ascertain that linear growth and weight gain continue while consuming a diet in which all the day's protein is given in one meal, six children (ages: 8.5 to 25 months, weight: 6 to 8 kg) who were convalescing from malnutrition were placed on such a diet for 60 to 67 days. All diets provided 125 to 150 kcal and 2.0 to 2.5 g protein/kg/day, recalculated weekly. Energy was evenly divided among five feedings but the entire day's protein was given at the third meal. Increases in height age relative to increases in chronological age were appropriate for the stage of recovery. Height quotient (height age/chronological age times 100) increased during the study in four children and remained constant in two. Increases in weight age were greater than corresponding increases in chronological age. Nine-day control periods prior to and after the growth study allowed comparative N balances, which confirmed previous findings that apparent N retention from the unevenly distributed protein (32 +/- 10% of intake) was less, although not significantly so, than that from the control diet (34 +/- 15% of intake). Fecal facts were elevated during the study period (18 +/- 7.5% of intake) relative to the control period values (9 +/- 3.9% of intake) in all but one child.