Abstract
Prevalence of malnutrition in Indonesia is still high although it has some potential source of nutrients. Seluang fish (Rasbora spp.) is a river fish consumed by the people of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. This study analyzed the improvement of nutritional status in the malnourished rats after treatment with Seluang Fish. The study used malnourished white rats (Rattus norvegicus) using a low protein and fat diet for 8 weeks. The rats were divided into three groups; malnourished group (M) without other dietary treatment, standard diet (P1) and seluang diet (P2) for a period of four weeks. The malnourished group was sacrificed first, and after four weeks treatment, other groups were sacrificed; blood and bones were taken for weight, protein levels, hemoglobin levels, bone length, bone calcium levels and IGF-1 levels. The results showed that the average of body weight for all the studied groups ranged between 190 to 220g. Seluang diet had the highest serum protein levels (4.388 mg/dL), hemoglobin (19.7 mg/dL) and IGF levels (388.7 ng/mL). Standard diet had the longest bone length (3.547 cm) and the highest Calcium levels of 1.68 mg/g. Based on these results, it was concluded that Seluang fish may have the potential to improve the nutritional status of malnourished rats.
Highlights
Malnutrition is an imbalance of nutritional and energy supplies with the body requires ensuring some growth, maintenance, and certain functions
Mann Whitney showed there was no significant difference between protein levels in malnourished rats and standard diet (P1) with p=0,0631
After standard diet and seluang diet treatment, there were significant weight increases. This suggested that both standard diet and seluang may increase post-malnutrition weight
Summary
Malnutrition is an imbalance of nutritional and energy supplies with the body requires ensuring some growth, maintenance, and certain functions. Malnutrition may be caused by inadequate or wrong dietary intake or medical conditions that affect the digestion of food or the absorption of nutrients from food[1,2,3]. Malnutrition still remains a serious problem, especially in developing countries, including Indonesia. Res. Nutr Food Sci Jour., Vol 6(1) 127-134 (2018)
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