Does serum albumin/phospholipid index better reflect overall protein status in man?

Abstract

Serum albumin concentration is a commonly used, but inadequate index of protein status in man. A study of serum lipid changes in malnourished children reported a progressive increase in serum phospholipid concentration with deterioration of protein status in the children. This led us to assess the usefulness of serum albumin/phospholipid index (API) in groups of healthy young adults, malnourished children, and their age-and-sex-matched well-nourished controls. We found that API discriminated between malnourished and well-nourished children. There was no difference between the index for well-nourished children and adults in spite of differences in body sizes. However, since serum albumin showed a similar discrimination between malnourished and well-nourished children, API may possibly not be superior to serum albumin in the assessment of protein status in man.