J. Sérgio Marchini

Midarm computerized tomography fat, muscle and total areas correlation with nutritional assessment data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Correlated nutritional assessment data (anthropometric, bioimpedance and biochemical) with computerized tomography (CT) of total, muscle and fat midarm areas. Total body fat and fat-free mass were estimated using bioimpedance. Daily urinary urea and creatinine were also quantified. In all, 28 subjects (13 males, 15 females) were evaluated and, they were clinically divided in obese, malnourished and control subjects.DESIGN: Quantification of total, fat muscle midarm areas by tomography and anthropometry and total body fat and free-fat mass by bioimpedance.RESULTS: CT values were 29% higher for fat area and 4–5% lower for total and muscle midarm areas compared against anthropometric data. The midarm skinfold thickness highly correlated with CT fat midarm area. Total body fat and free-fat mass bioimpedance data showed significant correlation with CT midarm data. Urinary creatinine correlated with CT muscle midarm area.CONCLUSION: Utilization of anthropometry can lead to error estimation of fat and fat-free arm areas and that bioimpedance gives fair correlation between total body and CT midarm measurements.

Whole-body protein metabolism turnover in men on a high or low calorie rice and bean Brazilian diet

Whole-body protein kinetics was measured with 15N-glycine in five young adult male volunteers. Each subject participated twice, being his own control. They received a Brazilian rice and bean diet with usual Brazilian protein intake of 0.8 g/kg/d, but low (−30%) or high (+30%) in non-protein calories. The subjects were fed, at random, for 7–8 days the low or high calorie diet. During the last three days samples of food, feces and urine were collected for nitrogen balance. On the last day, rates of nitrogen flux, protein synthesis and degradation in the whole body were estimed from 15N excretion in urinary ammonia and total urea (excreted plus retained within the body) during a 9-h period after administration of oral single dose of 15N-glycine. During the kinetic study the subjects received 112 of the total food intake hourly. The results were for the low and high calorie intakes respectively: nitrogen balance, mg/kg/d, 2±21 (mean±SD) and 24±16 (p<0.05); urine nitrogen, mg/kg/d, 104±9 and 89±18 (p<0.11); nitrogen flux, g/9h, 21±6 and 18±4; protein synthesis, g/9h, 112±44 and 94±24; protein breakdown, g/9h, 101±41 and 81±26. In conclusion, healthy young adult receiving low calorie rice and beans Brazilian diet maintained the nitrogen flux, protein synthesis and degradation constant, in spite of a lower nitrogen balance.

Arm Fat Index as an Alternative Parameter in the Assessment of Nutritional Status of Hospitalized Patients

Hospitalized patients often have to stay in bed for long periods. This is particularly true in the most debilitated patients, when it is impossible to obtain their height and weight. the present study was conducted to assess the use of an alternative anthropometric guideline to evaluate the nutritional status of hospitalized patients. A proposed index, referred to as arm fat index (AFI), is the quotient of triceps skinfold thickness (in mm) and the olecranon-acromial distance (in dm) squared. the AFI was evaluated on 256 adults and afier clinical examination 104 adults were classified as normal, 61 as obese and 18 as having protein-calorie malnutrition. AFI values (mean±SD) for adult women and men were obtained. 1.49±0.39 mm dm−2 for 38 normal healthy women, 2.98±0–67 mm dm−2 for 38 obese women, and 0.53±0.27 mm dm−2 for 10 female patients with protein-calorie malnutrition; 0.78±0.28 mm dm−2 for 66 normal healthy men; 1.93±0.75 mm dm−2 for 23 obese men, and 0.37±0.22 mm dm−2 for 8 male patients with prote...

Cálculo das recomendações de ingestão protéica: aplicação a pré-escolar, escolar e adulto utilizando alimentos brasileiros

As recomendacoes de ingestao proteica variam conforme o teor de proteina, da quantidade de aminoacidos essenciais oferecidas e da digestibilidade da dieta. Em geral as recomendacoes proteicas tomam por base um alimento considerado padrao como o ovo ou o leite. No entanto, a nivel populacional, ingere-se misturas de alimentos em quantidades e qualidades diferentes, que variam de regiao para regiao. A titulo de ilustracao foram calculadas as recomendacoes de ingestao proteica para uma mistura de alimentos habitualmente usados pela populacao brasileira e consumida por tres grupos etarios diferentes: o pre escolar, o escolar e o adulto. Sao apresentadas 10 combinacoes de alimentos, todas tendo como principal fonte proteica o arroz e/ou o feijao. Observa-se que a recomendacao de ingestao proteica do pre escolar, pode variar entre 1,15 a 1,77 g/kg por dia dependendo da mistura utilizada. Discute-se tambem a importância da quantidade de alimentos ingeridos e a presenca de outros nutrientes. Sugere-se que ao se recomendar a ingestao proteica de uma determinada mistura de alimentos sejam considerados os seguintes fatores: teor total de nitrogenio, quantidade de aminoacidos essenciais, digestibilidade, peso total da mistura e a presenca de outros nutrientes.The recommendations for protein consumption depend on the essential amino acid and total nitrogen content of a diet, and food digestibility. International recommendations are based on egg or milk proteins. However, populations eat different food mixtures. Brazilians use rice and beans as their main protein food source. This study presents different Brazilian diets, with variable amount of rice and beans. The results show that for each diet there is a different amount of protein recommended. Pre-school children, for example, must receive from 1.15 to 1.77 g/protein/day, depending on the mixture of their dietary protein intake. Besides the diet proteins quality and quantity, the total food intake and presence of other essential nutrients, such as iron, calcium and vitamin C has also to be considered. The correct protein recommendation with respect to a diet or a mixture of food, should take into consideration: digestibility, total nitrogen, essential amino acids, presence of others nutrients and weight of food consumed.

Protein requirement assessment of elderly men on a rice and beans diet

Abstract This study evaluated the protein requirement of elderly subjects on a rice and beans diet. Eight men, ages 60 to 81 years, participated in studies to determine nitrogen balance response to graded intakes of rice and beans protein within the sub-maintenance to near-maintenance range of nitrogen intake. All subjects were involved in three eight-day study periods, each consisting of one day on a “protein-free” diet and seven days on a test diet. The test diets were assigned in random order, and included 0.25±0.08, 0.46±0.90, and 0.63±0.13 g protein per kilogram of body weight per day, respectively. Only two subjects achieved positive nitrogen balance, both at the highest protein intake. The calculated protein allowance at α=97.5% for this population on a typical Brazilian rice/beans diet was 1.44 g/(kg.d). This amount is approximately twice the recommended allowance for elderly subjects.

Breath 13CO2 enrichment in obese women during the fasting and the fed states

Abstract The objective of the present study was to assess by isotope ratio mass spectrometry the breath 13 CO 2 enrichment in obese women during the fasting and the fed states and to correlate it with blood 13 CO 2 enrichment. Eight obese women aged 30 ± 6 years (mean ± SD), body mass index of 40 ± 8 kg/m 2 were submitted to intravenous infusion of 13 NaHCO 3 for eight hours. During the first four hours the subjects fasted and during the subsequent four hours they ingested 1 meal per hour. Breath 13 CO 2 enrichment (XCO 2 ) was 0.72 ± 0.12 during fasting and 0.75 ± 0.14 during feeding ( P > 0.5, non parametric Wilcoxon test). Blood 13 CO 2 enrichment was higher during food ingestion (0.61 ± 0.14 against 0.51 ± 0.14 in the fasted state, P = 0.0078). We conclude that breath 13 CO 2 enrichment was not different under fasting and fed conditions. The greater blood enrichment during feeding was not accompanied by greater breath enrichment, indicating that CO 2 is shifted to other metabolic pathways.