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Biomedical subjects

G Arroyave

Publications and source records attributed to G Arroyave.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

[3 problem vitamins in Latin America].

The list of vitamins recognized as essential in human nutrition is extensive. Only some of them, however, are attributed an important role in public health. The present paper deals with three of these selected because their deficiencies still prevail in important sectors of population in the Latin American Region: vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin D. For each vitamin the paper discusses the scientific bases for their requirements, as well as pragmatic considerations to be taken into account for the derivation of recommended dietary intakes. Reference is made to the logic of applying the concepts of nutrient density when developing guidelines for the design of diets for the family and the community. Adequate nutrient density means that when a diet is consumed in sufficient amounts to satisfy energy requirements, the needs for essential nutrients are also being met. For the above reasons, the principle of expressing the recommended levels of intake of vitamin A and C per 1,000 kilocalories has been followed. This is not the case with vitamin D which, in view of its special feature of being synthesized endogenously, is not really a vitamin in the strict sense of the term and, therefore, a rational and consistent relationship with the energy of the diet cannot be established.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

[Abuse of megadoses of vitamins].

There is no evidence of any nutritional benefit derived from the consumption of vitamin supplements in excess of the daily intakes recommended by the various international and national expert committees. Furthermore, in the case of certain of the vitamins such as vitamin A and vitamin D, excessive intakes result in toxic effects. To a lesser extent this is also the case for vitamin C and nicotinic acid. In addition, the use of high supplements or megadoses of any vitamin results in a wasteful misuse of economic resources. This reduces the capacity to acquire foods which would have clear nutritional benefits for the whole family. Consequently, the indiscriminate use of these megadoses must be discouraged. Their application is exclusively justified in clinical situations under direct medical supervision.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

alpha 2-Macroglobulin in vitamin A-deficient children.

Serum samples were obtained from 43 children 14 years old or younger in Malaysia and Guatemala. The levels of the serum glycoprotein alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M) were assayed by two methods: the trypsin-binding assay of Ganrot (Clin. Chim. Acta 14:493, 1960) and a radial immunodiffusion assay against alpha 2-M antiserum. The two methods gave the same results. When serum alpha 2-M levels were plotted against serum vitamin A concentrations, they were significantly correlated (r = 0.505, P less than 0.001); children with serum vitamin A levels greater than 40 micrograms/100 ml had alpha 2-M levels of 3.71 +/- 0.79 mg/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 13), while those with level less than 40 micrograms/100 ml had alpha 2-M levels of 2.78 +/- 0.51 mg/ml (n = 30); the difference was significant (P less than 0.001). Normal, apparently healthy children had alpha 2-M levels of 3.90 +/- 0.39 mg/ml. Most of the children sampled suffered from a variety of infections; of these, measles appeared to counteract the effect of vitamin A deficiency by elevating alpha 2-M levels. Vitamin A-deficient children with measles had alpha 2-M levels not significantly lower than those of normal children. The difference between deficient and normal values of alpha 2-M was still significant (P less than 0.05) when expressed per milligram of serum protein, showing that the effect was not caused by lowered serum protein concentrations associated with protein-calorie malnutrition, from which most of the deficiency children suffered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

[Relation of the energy content of fats and proteins as an indicator of energy-protein potential of population diets].

The protein-calorie (Po/o) and the protein value (NDpCalo/o) have been proposed as indices to evaluate the potentiality of diets to meet protein and calorie needs of a given population. The fat-calorie to protein-calorie ratio (G/P) is presented as a complementary index, considering the possibility that the values of Po/o and NDpCalo/o can be adequate but that the energy density of the diets is too low, as might be the case in many rural communities of the developing countries. On the basis of the evidence discussed in this paper, the G/P ratio estimated as adequate is 2.5, and values lower than 2 can be considered as nutritionally unacceptable.

Child, Preschool↗
PubMed1979

[Decrease in serum levels of retinol and its binding protein (RBP) in infection].

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the qualitative and quantiative effect of various infectious epsiodes on the blood serum levels of retinol and retinol-binding protein (RBP). Twenty-four children and 30 adult subjects were studied. The infections studied included chickenpox (n = 7); bronchitis (n = 9) upper respiratory infection (n = 30); tonsillitis (n = 2); diarrhea (n = 2) and one case each of: febrile stomatitis, nonspecific gastrointestinal alteration, urinary infection and shigellosis. In addition to retinol and RBP, the study determined changes in serum carotene, proteins, albumin and globulins. The results clearly demonstrate the marked depressing effect of infections on serum retinol, with a magnitude which in many cases reached more than 20 micrograms/dl, and in others more than 30 micrograms/dl. The RBP levels were significantly correlated with retinol, decreasing proportionally with infection. Serum albumin also decreased in most instances; and the globulin levels of the children, but not of the adults, were significantly higher during the infections. Carotene did not show important variations. The effects were more intense when fever accompanied the infectious episodes. These results are considered of great public health significance, in view of the large majorities, mainly children, who ordinarily subsist with very low serum retinol levels in the underdeveloped regions of the world. As infections attack these underpriviledged children, their serum retinol and RBP levels will likely drop a magnitude similar to that observed in the subjects of this study. They may then reach even more critically deficient retinol levels and be in serious danger of developing a severe acute state of clinical vitamin A deficiency.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Vitamin A deficiency and anemia in Central American children.

In order to investigate the role of vitamin A nutriture in the prevalence of anemia in Central America, a retrospective evaluation of the data of the six Institute of Nutrition of Central Americal and Panama/Office for International Research nutrition surveys of Central America and Panama has been made. Three groups of children; 1 to 4, 5 to 8, and 9 to 12 years old, living between 0 and 2,5000 feet above sea level were studeid. Several biochemical and dietary parameters related to anemia were corrleated with plasma levels of retinol. Children between the ages of 5 and 12 years showed a significant positive correlation between hemoglobin and plasma retinol. Children aged 1 to 4 years did not show a similar correlation. In children of all age groups there were positive correlations between plasma retinol and serum iron. Percent saturation of transferrin was also found to be lower when plasma retinol levels were low. Children with an adequate intake of iron, as classified by both dietary information and socioeconomic level, showed a significant positive correlation between plasma retinol levels and iron in their serum. In contrast, no correlation was found when dietary iron was low. In the light of these findings, a possible relationship between vitamin A deficiency and anemia is suggested.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1977

The nutrition problem in Latin America: definition, causes, and remedial actions.

Clinical, dietary, and biochemical surveys have shown that on the whole Latin America faces a serious nutrition problem. This article reviews the nature and extent of that problem, especially its effects on maternal and child health, and suggests various approaches for researchers, health professionals, and political authorities that would contribute to its resolution.

Child↗
PubMed1976

[Socioeconomic level of the family and nutrition in the rural area of Central America and Panama].

During the nutrition survey carried out in Central America and Panama in 1965-1967, information was obtained on the diets and nutrient intake of the rural populations, and on their anthropometric and nutritional-biochemical characteristics. Simultaneously, data were collected for each family studied, which permitted their categorization according to a scale of socioeconomic index. The findings of these studies demonstrate a direct relationship between the socioeconomic level of the families and their dietary and nutritional characteristics. The different types of data, that is, dietary, biochemical, anthropometric and socioeconomic, were all collected at the same time in order to avoid seasonal differences as a confounding factor. Restriction of the sample studied to the rural area of the six countries makes each population rather homogeneous with respect to environmental, genetic and cultural characteristics. Under these conditions, the direct association found between the socioeconomic index of the families and nutritional status acquires more meaning. The design of the study does not permit to determine the direction of a cause-effect relationship, that is, which is the cause of the other. Nevertheless, the findings lend themselves to interesting speculation in this regard.

Central America↗
PubMed1976

Studies in Central America and Panama.

Nutrition during pregnancy is recognized as of great importance in public health, not only for the woman herself, but also for the impact that it may have on the present and future of the born child. The pregnant state represents additional nutritional needs which have been estimated by expert groups, in a nutrient-independent manner. The percent increase in nutrient specific recommendations due to pregnancy varies with each nutrient. This would mean that the recommended dietary "pattern" for the pregnant women differs markedly from that of the non-pregnant woman, but this matter needs further study and careful consideration. In areas like Central America and Panama, where malnutrition is prevalent, pregnant women suffer from the same nutritional deficits as the general population. The main nutritional deficits are calories, protein, vitamin A, riboflavin, iron and folates. In some instances like in the case of iron and calories, the deficit seems greater in the pregnant women than in the population at large. The studies give evidence that the new born children of malnourished mothers reflect in some aspects the biochemical changes found in the pregnant women.

Central America↗
PubMed1975

[Review of the calory and protein content of the diets of low socioeconomic levels in Central America. Is there a protein problem?].

The present study constitutes an analysis of the diets of children of low socioeconomic level in the rural area of two Central American countries to specifically determine whether these typical diets are deficient in their content of biologically utilizable protein. The study confirmed that the calorie deficit is of a greater magnitude than that of protein. The estimates of NDpCal%, that is, of the biologically utilizable protein expressed as percent of the total calories, allow to conclude that when these diets, bases predominantly on a combination of a cereal and a legume seed, are consumed in sufficient amounts to meet calorie requirements, there is no protein problem. It is proposed that the approaches to improve the calorie-protein nutritional status be based on previous analysis similar to the one undertaken in the present work. The costly supplementation of diets with "protein-rich" foods or the adoption of similar measures, are not justified except when diets have an unduly low NDpCal%. In the case of the populations studied, the recommended action is to increase the consumption of the existing diets as such, or even a predominantly calorie supplementation when their NDpCal% is higher than needed. These last measures would seem more feasible and less costly. The fact that the increased losses of nutrients due to infection cannot be compensated solely with protein is also stressed.

Central America↗