Summary
Total tocopherols and alpha-tocopherols were estimated in the plasma of children with severe malnutrition (14 marasmus; 11 marasmic kwashiorkor; five kwashiorkor) and related to the total plasma lipids and different plasma lipid classes. If the mere plasma concentrations were taken as an index of the vitamin E status, five children with marasmus, five children with marasmic kwashiorkor, and two children with kwashiorkor would have been regarded as deficient (<500 μg/dl). However, if total tocopherols and alpha-tocopherols were related to the total plasma lipids, all malnourished children — except one — showed values within the limits found in healthy American children. The study shows that low tocopherol/lipid ratios are not a constant feature in severely malnourished children.
Zusammenfassung
Das Gesamttocopherol und alpha-Tocopherol wurden im Plasma von Kindern mit schwerer Mangelernährung (14 Maramus; 11 marantischer kwashiorkor; 5 kwashiorkor) bestimmt und auf die Gesamtlipide des Plasmas und auf die verschiedenen Plasmalipidklassen bezogen. Wenn die reinen Plasmakonzentrationen als ein Index des Vitamin-E-Status genommen würden, so wären 5 Kinder mit Marasmus, 5 Kinder mit marantischem kwashiorkor und 2 Kinder mit kwashiorkor als defizitär (<500 μg/dl) anzusehen. Werden jedoch Gesamttocopherol und alpha-Tocopherol auf die Gesamtlipide bezogen, so zeigten alle mangelernährten Kinder — bis auf eines — Werte, die innerhalb der Grenzen lagen, die für gesunde amerikanische Kinder gefunden wurden. Die Studie zeigt, daß niedrige Tocopherol-Lipid-Verhältnisse kein konstantes Merkmal bei schwer mangelernährten Kindern sind.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bieri JG, Tolliver TJ, Catignani GL (1979) Simultaneous determination of alpha-tocopherol and retinol in plasma or red cells by high pressure liquid chromatography. Am J Clin Nutr 32:2143–2149
Cheek CS, Wease DF (1969) A summation technic for serum total lipids. Comparison of methods. Clin Chem 15:102–107
El-Karib AO, Laryea MD, Mayatepek E, El-Amin EO, Ahmed HM, Bremer HJ (1989) Plasma retinol and tocopherols of breast-feeding Sudanese women. Trop Med Parasitol 40:405–408
Farrell PM, Levine SL, Murphy MD, Adams AJ (1978) Plasma tocopherol levels and tocopherol-lipid relationships in a normal population of children as compared to healthy adults. Am J Clin Nutr 31:1720–1726
Golden MHN, Ramdath D (1987) Free radicals in the pathogenesis of kwashiorkor. Proc Nutr Soc 46:53–68
Horwitt MK, Harvey CC, Dahm CH Jr, Searcy MT (1971) Relationship between tocopherol and serum lipid levels for determination of nutritional adequacy. Ann N Y Acad Sci 203:223–236
Laditan AAO, Ette SI (1982) Plasma alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) levels and tocopherol-lipid ratio among children with protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). Ann Trop Paediatr 2:85–88
McLaren DS, Shirajian E, Loshkajian H, Shadarevian S (1969) Short-term prognosis in protein-calorie malnutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 22:863–870
Majaj AS, Dinning JS, Azzam SA, Darby WJ (1963) Vitamin E responsive megaloblastic anemia in infants with protein-calorie malnutrition. Am J Clin Nutr 12:374–379
Meydani SN, Shapiro AC, Meydani M, Maculey JB, Blumberg JB (1987) Effect of age and dietary fat (fish, corn and coconut oils) on tocopherol status of C57BL/6Nia mice. Lipids 22:345–350
Nitowsky HM, Cornblath M, Gordon HH (1956) Studies of tocopherol deficiency in infants and children. II. Plasma tocopherol erythrocyte hemolysis in hydrogen peroxide. Am J Dis Child 92:164–174
Sandstead HH, Gabr MK, Azzam S, Shuky AS, Weiler RJ, El Din OM, Mokhtar N, Prasad AS, El Hifney A, Darby WJ (1965) Kwashiorkor in Egypt. II. Hematologic anemia (the occurrence of a macrocytic anemia associated with low serum vitamin E and a wide range of serum vitamin B 12 levels). Am J Clin Nutr 17:27–35
Scrimshaw NS, Behar M, Arroyave G, Tejada C, Viteri F (1957) Kwashiorkor in children and its response to protein therapy. J Am Med Ass 164:555–561
Siedel J, Schlumberger H, Klose S, Ziegenhorn J, Wahlefeld AW (1981) Improved reagent for the enzymatic determination of serum cholesterol. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 19:838–839
Sies H (1986) Biochemie des oxidativen Streß. Angew Chem 98:1081–1095
Taha SA (1972) The multidisciplinary approach to the prevention of proteincalorie malnutrition. In: Yousif YB, Bagchi K, Khattab AG (eds) Food and nutrition in the Sudan, Proc Nat Food and Nutr Sem. WHO/Sudan Governm. Geneva, Publication, Khartoum, pp 192–205
Taha SA (1973) M.D. thesis, Khartoum University
Taha SA (1979) Ecological factors underlying protein-calorie malnutrition in an irrigated area of the Sudan. Ecol Food Nutr 7:193–201
Tappel A (1982) Measurement of in vivo lipid peroxidation via exhaled pentane and protection by vitamin E. In: Yagi E (ed) Lipid peroxide in biology and medicine. Academic Press, New York, pp 1–10
Wahlefeld AW (1974) Triglyceride-Bestimmung nach enzymatischer Verseifung. In: Bergmeyer HU (Hrsg) Methoden der enzymatischen Analyse. Bd. II. Weinheim, Verlag Chemie, S 1878–1882
Wellcome Working Party (1970) Classification of infantile malnutrition. Lancet I:302–303
Zilversmit DB, Davis AK (1950) Microdetermination of plasma phospholipids by trichloracetic acid precipitation. J Lab Clin Med 35:155–160
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ahmed, H.M., Laryea, M.D., El-Karib, A.O. et al. Vitamin E status in Sudanese children with protein-energy malnutrition. Z Ernährungswiss 29, 47–53 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02019534
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02019534