Prospects for alleviating protein malnutrition in India

In regions where protein malnutrition is widespread sources of animal protein are often in short supply. Consumption may be prohibited by social or cultural customs. The quality of the protein of predominantly cereal diets requires improvement; increasing attention is being directed to evaluating the beneficial effects of supplementing cereal diets with other protein sources.

Studies on the supplementary effects of several vegetable food combinations in our laboratories have revealed that:

1. The supplementary effect of the combinations of Indian Multi‐purpose Food (MPF) and skim milk on increments of height and weight of children was better than that of either component alone. The effects of MPF alone on the haemoglobin levels was greater than that of skim milk.

2. Combinations of skim milk with red gram dhal or MPF, in the protein ratio 1:1 were as efficient as skim milk alone.

3. A mixture of green gram dhal and whole sesame in the ratio of 2:1 produced comparable effects to that of skim milk, when given to children suffering from kwashiorkor.

4. A mixture of groundnut meal, sesame meal and horse gram in the protein ratio of 2:1:1 improved the nutritional status of preschool children significantly.

5. Corn soyameal (CSM), as a supplement to the school lunch was superior to skim milk. The nutritional status of children was further enhanced when a green leafy vegetable was added to the skim milk or CSM.

6. Supplementation of a basal diet with leaf protein concentrate (LPC) resulted in growth in rats, which was comparable to that achieved by the basal diet supplemented by red gram dhal.

Conventional and novel sources of protein may provide inexpensive sources of protein for feeding infants and children and may help to achieve an improvement in growth

Notes

Prepared for the Eighth Pugwash Symposium on “Overcoming Protein Malnutrition in Developing Countries"—Oberursel/Frankfurt, 19th to 23rd May, 1970.