The Effect of Clover Honey Supplementation on the Anthropometric Measurements and Lipid Profile of Malnourished Infants and Children

Abstract

Background Malnutrition in children is an increasing problem worldwide which may result in both short and long term irreversible negative health outcomes. Objective This study was to assess the effect of clover honey supplementation on the anthropometric measurements and lipid profile of malnourished infants and children. Subjects & Methods This was prospective interventional clinical trial done on 20 malnourished infants and children whose ages ranged between 1-5 years. The patients with primary malnutrition only included in our study and we excluded patients with secondary malnutrition or who had any diseases as (diabetes, GIT diseases, severe systemic illness or inborn error of metabolism).The patients were recruited from the Pediatric Nutrition Clinic Ain Shams University. The children received honey supplementation for 3 months and anthropometric measurements (weight, height, body mass index, head circumference and mid arm circumference) and fasting serum cholesterol level were measured baseline and after 3 months honey supplementation in a dose of 1.75ml/kg/dose twice weekly for 3 months to ensure compliance. Results The 3-month honey consumption has statistically highly significant effect on increasing weight, height, and body mass index and lowering fasting serum cholesterol level in primary malnourished infants and children. The statistical measurements of mean ± SD regarding weight, height, body mass index and fasting serum cholesterol level before honey consumption were (9.49 ± 2.03, 81.45 ± 8.31, 14.24 ± 2.15, 178.00 ± 20.91) and after 3 months honey consumption were (10.91 ± 2.11, 84.80 ± 8.23, 15.07 ± 2.05, 162.45 ± 19.73) respectively with P-value< 0.01. Conclusion Honey is a natural substance with a lot of benefits for nutrition and health. Our results showed a significant effect of consuming honey on changes in the nutritional status based on weight, height, and body mass index, and has a favorable effect on lowering fasting serum cholesterol level.