American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 14, 147-155, Copyright © 1964 by The American Society for Clinical Nutrition, Inc.

An Assessment of Nutritive Value of Fish Flour in the Treatment of Convalescent Kwashiorkor Patients

¹ From the National Nutrition Research Institute, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Pretoria, South Africa

The efficacy of maize meal diets containing supplements of VioBin fish flour, a fish flour produced by the Fishing Industry Research Institute (F.I.R.I.) of South Africa and dried skim milk in the treatment of convalescent kwashiorkor patients were compared in forty-five patients divided at random into three equal groups. The three diets were approximately isonitrogenous and isocaloric.

All three diets were taken and tolerated well, and in no instance was it necessary to discontinue any of the diets before the end of the six week trial period.

The three groups of patients were compared as regards weight gain and changes in the protein, urea, cholesterol and amino nitrogen levels in the blood serum. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups given diets supplemented with VioBin fish flour and with skim milk with respect to any of these values. The patients in the group given F.I.R.I. fish flour gained less weight than the patients in the group given skim milk, the differences being statistically significant. The decrease in the serum cholesterol levels which ocurred during the experimental period was more pronounced in the group receiving the F.I.R.I. fish flour supplement than in the receiving group dried skim milk, the differences also being significant. No significant differences between the two groups were found with regard to any of the other values. In addition, no significant differences were found between the values for gain in weight and the biochemical values obtained during the experimental period in the two groups given the fish flour supplements.

Three day balance studies (nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium) were carried out in the seventh week after admission on ten patients from each group. The differences in absorption and retention of nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium were not statistically significant. Both of the two groups given the fish flour supplement, whose intake of calcium was higher than that of the group given dried skim milk, retained more calcium per unit weight than the group receiving the dried skim milk supplement, the differences being statistically significant.

Although the groups given fish flour supplements were small and the experimental period relatively short, the results obtained, nevertheless, indicate that high quality fish flour may be of considerable value in the prevention of protein malnutrition.