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Cardino VN, Goeden T, Yakah W, Ezeamama AE, Fenton JI. New Perspectives on the Associations between Blood Fatty Acids, Growth Parameters, and Cognitive Development in Global Child Populations. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15081933. [PMID: 37111152 PMCID: PMC10143140 DOI: 10.3390/nu15081933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition is prevalent in low-middle-income countries (LMICs), but it is usually clinically diagnosed through abnormal anthropometric parameters characteristic of protein energy malnutrition (PEM). In doing so, other contributors or byproducts of malnutrition, notably essential fatty acid deficiency (EFAD), are overlooked. Previous research performed mainly in high-income countries (HICs) shows that deficiencies in essential fatty acids (EFAs) and their n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) byproducts (also known as highly unsaturated fatty acids or HUFAs) lead to both abnormal linear growth and impaired cognitive development. These adverse developmental outcomes remain an important public health issue in LMICs. To identify EFAD before severe malnutrition develops, clinicians should perform blood fatty acid panels to measure levels of fatty acids associated with EFAD, notably Mead acid and HUFAs. This review demonstrates the importance of measuring endogenous fatty acid levels for measuring fatty acid intake in various child populations in LMICs. Featured topics include a comparison of fatty acid levels between global child populations, the relationships between growth and cognition and PUFAs and the possible mechanisms driving these relationships, and the potential importance of EFAD and HUFA scores as biomarkers of overall health and normal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa N Cardino
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Travis Goeden
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - William Yakah
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Amara E Ezeamama
- Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Jenifer I Fenton
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
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Patterson GT, Manthi D, Osuna F, Muia A, Olack B, Mbuchi M, Saldarriaga OA, Ouma L, Inziani M, Yu X, Otieno P, Melby PC. Environmental, Metabolic, and Inflammatory Factors Converge in the Pathogenesis of Moderate Acute Malnutrition in Children: An Observational Cohort Study. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2021; 104:1877-1888. [PMID: 33755580 PMCID: PMC8103470 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.20-0963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute malnutrition affects more than 50 million children worldwide. These children are at an increased risk of morbidity and mortality from infectious disease. However, the pathogenesis of acute malnutrition and mechanisms underlying the increased risk and poor outcomes from infection are not well understood. Our objective was to identify differences in inflammation and inflammatory responses between children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and healthy controls (HCs), and search for environmental, pathophysiological, and metabolic factors that may influence this response. Sixteen children with MAM and 16 HCs aged 18-36 months were studied in Nairobi, Kenya. None of the children had symptoms of an infectious disease (fever, diarrhea, or cough) in the 2 weeks before enrollment and sample collection. Demographic and health data were provided by their primary caregivers. Blood samples were collected to measure various biomarkers and the response to an inflammatory stimulus. Children with MAM were more frequently from households with contaminated water, crowding, and unstable income sources. They also had increases in basal inflammation, circulating bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), markers of intestinal damage, and an exaggerated whole blood inflammatory response to LPS. Metabolic changes in children with MAM led to increased plasma levels of long-chain fatty acids, which were found to contribute to the pro-inflammatory state. These exploratory findings suggest convergence of multiple factors to promote dysregulated inflammatory responses and prompt several mechanistic hypotheses that can be pursued to better understand the pathogenesis of MAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grace T. Patterson
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Dennis Manthi
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Finnley Osuna
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Alfred Muia
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Beatrice Olack
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Margaret Mbuchi
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Omar A. Saldarriaga
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Linet Ouma
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mary Inziani
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Xiaoying Yu
- Department of Preventative Medicine and Population Health, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas
| | - Phelgona Otieno
- Centre for Clinical Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya;,Address correspondence to Phelgona Otieno, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Mbagathi Road, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: or Peter C. Melby, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, E-mail:
| | - Peter C. Melby
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas;,Address correspondence to Phelgona Otieno, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Mbagathi Road, Nairobi, Kenya, E-mail: or Peter C. Melby, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Boulevard, Galveston, TX 77550, E-mail:
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Munyangi J, Lutgen P. Artemisia plants, arachidonic and other polyunsaturated fatty acids. MALARIAWORLD JOURNAL 2020; 11:3. [PMID: 34532222 PMCID: PMC8415067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Arachidonic acid (AA or ARA) is an extremely important fatty acid involved in cell regulation. It is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (20:4n6) covalently bound in esterified form in membrane phospholipids of most body cells. Following irritation or injury, arachidonic acid is released and oxygenated by enzyme systems leading to the formation of an important group of inflammatory mediators, to the prostaglandins (PGE₂) by the cyclooxygenase enzyme. This paper describes the positive health effects of arachidonic acid on malaria and other tropical diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Munyangi
- Faculté de Médecine,Université de Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Henjum S, Kvestad I, Shrestha M, Ulak M, Chandyo RK, Thorne-Lyman AL, Shrestha PS, Kjellevold M, Hysing M, Strand TA. Erythrocyte DHA and AA in infancy is not associated with developmental status and cognitive functioning five years later in Nepalese children. Nutr J 2018; 17:70. [PMID: 30025518 PMCID: PMC6053716 DOI: 10.1186/s12937-018-0375-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are crucial for normal brain development in utero and in early infancy. Data on fatty acid status and cognitive development in infants and children from low-income countries are scarce. METHODS We examined the association between the DHA and AA status in infancy (n = 320) and developmental status and cognitive functioning five years later. At five years of age, we measured development by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire 3rd. ed. (ASQ-3) and cognitive functioning by subtests from the neuropsychological test battery NEPSY II. In addition, infant fatty acid composition in red blood cells (RBC) was analyzed. In multiple linear and logistic regression models, we estimated the associations between DHA and AA status in infancy and scores on the ASQ-3 and the NEPSY II subtests. RESULTS There were no notable associations between infant AA and DHA status, and the scores on the ASQ-3 and the NEPSY II subtests five years later. It should be noted that we found better than expected concentrations of erythrocyte DHA and AA among the infants, and the ASQ scores were left-skewed, which limited the ability to identify associations. CONCLUSION DHA and AA status in infancy is seemingly not related to neurodevelopment measured 5 years later in this peri-urban population from Nepal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigrun Henjum
- OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University, Postboks 4, St. Olavs plass, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid Kvestad
- Regional Center for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, West, Uni Research Health, Bergen, Norway
| | - Merina Shrestha
- Department of Child Health, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Manjeswori Ulak
- Department of Child Health, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Ram K. Chandyo
- Department of Community Medicine, Kathmandu Medical College, P.O. Box 21266, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | - Andrew L. Thorne-Lyman
- Center for Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA USA
| | - Prakash S. Shrestha
- Department of Child Health, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal
| | | | - Mari Hysing
- Regional Center for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, West, Uni Research Health, Bergen, Norway
| | - Tor A. Strand
- Division for Medical Services, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway
- The Center for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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