Parenteral influence on food selection in young children and its relationships to childhood obesity

Article Abstract:

Maintenance of proper nutrition during childhood is important to reduce the risk of nutrition-related disorders and diseases. Obesity is one of the most common nutritional disorders in children. It is associated with poor physical condition and an increased risk of obesity in adulthood, as well as hypertension and atherosclerosis (accumulation of fatty plaque in the arteries). Previous studies have indicated that children prefer, and if left on their own will choose, foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat. Based on these findings, several studies have investigated the effects of parental influence on children's food selections. These studies showed that children were more likely to try new foods if they saw their parents eating them, and that a child's weight was related to parental encouragement to eat. To investigate the effect of parental influence on children's food selections, the food selections made by 53 children aged 4 to 7 years (some obese and some with normal body weight) were recorded before and after the children were told that their mothers would be monitoring the food selections. The children were offered a wide variety of lunch foods of differing nutritional value and were allowed to choose the foods that they wanted. When the children were told that their mothers were monitoring their selections, the total caloric content of the foods chosen was lower and the number of foods low in nutritional value was reduced in comparison with the food selections made without parental influence. These results were the same for obese and normal-weight children. It is concluded that when left on their own, children will not select foods with high nutritional value, and that food selections can be strongly influenced by parents. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Risk factors, Children, Demographic aspects, Food and nutrition, Food habits, Child rearing, Obesity in children, Childhood obesity

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Safety of glutamine-enriched parenteral nutrient solutions in humans

Article Abstract:

Glutamine is a nonessential amino acid that acts as a nitrogen source for many biosynthetic pathways. In animal studies, glutamine has been shown to aid in intestinal mucosal growth, reduce gastrointestinal toxicity after chemotherapy, prevent atrophy (shrinkage) of the pancreas, and reduce the development of fatty liver associated with intravenous feeding. Therefore, glutamine-enriched solutions may be useful in the parenteral (intravenous) feeding of patients. The safety of glutamine-enriched parenteral nutrition was evaluated in seven volunteers who received infusions of parenteral nutrients containing glutamine (20 and 40 grams per day) for six days. Plasma glutamine levels increased during the glutamine diet therapy. However, blood levels of ammonia and glutamate, toxic metabolites of glutamine, were not significantly increased following glutamine-enriched parenteral feeding. Serum enzyme levels, indicative of normal liver and kidney function, were not altered by the glutamine diet. Blood concentrations of insulin, growth hormone, glucagon and cortisol remained within the normal range. The results suggest that glutamine-enriched parenteral solutions, at 40 grams of glutamine daily, are safe and nontoxic when provided in a five-day therapy program. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Evaluation, Parenteral feeding, Parenteral nutrition, Glutamine, Intravenous therapy

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