Effectiveness of Enriched Flour in the Recovery of Children Aged 6 to 59 Months with Moderate Acute Malnutrition

Introduction: In Chad, malnutrition is a silent emergency. Yet the use of local products in the fight against malnutrition is essential. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of locally sourced enriched flour in the recovery of children 6 to 59 months of moderate acute malnourishment compared to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (Plumpy’ Sup) in the city of Abéché-Chad. Methodology: This study took place from 1 October 2021 to 31 January 2022 in the city of Abéché, capital of the province of Ouaddaï. It was conducted in eight (8) urban health centers in the city of Abéché and concerned eighty (80) children with moderate acute malnutrition. It was based on a consumption assessment of two complementary foods by two groups of children. The assessment of nutritional status was made through anthropometric data such as weight, height and brachial perimeter. Results: All 80 children were tested for moderate acute malnutrition. Two complementary foods have been used which are locally produced flour and the Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food. The study showed that the group 1 who consumed the locally produced flour had an average weight gain of 1100 g and the group 2 who consumed the Plumpy sup had an average weight gain of 400 g. Conclusion: The present study carried out in Abéché allowed us to compare the effectiveness of locally produced weaning flours with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods on moderate malnourished child weight growth in the nutritional units of the town of Abéché.

Omega-6 for Body,Omega-3 for Brain:Balance for Brain Development in Children

Food must supply a balance of nutrients to support both brain and body.The human brain makes us uniquely human.Essential fatty acids are part of the metabolic pathways that define tissue structure and function.Omega-6(O6)linoleic acid(LA6)has long been known to be required for skin structure,and as a precursor for inflammatory,thrombotic,immune,and other signaling molecules.Omega-3(O3)alpha-linolenic acid(ALA3)and particularly its long chain product docosahexaenoic acid(DHA3)has a key structural role in the brain,retina,and related neural tissue.In the 20 th century western world,inexpensive,high quality oils primarily from LA6-rich/O3-poor vegetable seed oils became dominant fats produced by the food industry.Provision of LA6-rich/O3-poor oils as the sole source of fat in the diets of pregnant animals causes O3 deficiency and poor brain development,primarily because high LA6 antagonizes metabolism of all O3,creating an artificial metabolic demand for O3.Data developed over the last 2~3 decades show that provision of low LA6 combined with preformed DHA3 optimizes brain function.Recent studies emphasize the importance of nutrition to support brain development,with newer findings showing particular importance of fatty acid balance in malnourished children.The World Health Organization(WHO)through the Codex Alimentarius(“Code for Food”)is increasingly recognizing the primacy of brain health and in part on that basis recently acted to recommend balanced fat for Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Foods used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition.Similar principles are likely to be important in older persons.Industry now has the tools to adjust the composition of oils to support brain health throughout the life cycle.