Peer-reviewed article
Dietary Inflammatory Index and Nutritional Status in Children with Inborn Errors of Metabolism on Protein-Restricted Diets.
Emine Aktaş, Betül Çiçek, Ilyas Okur, Asli İnci, Leyla Tümer ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study compared the nutritional status and dietary inflammatory properties of 20 children with inborn errors of metabolism (genetic disorders affecting protein metabolism) who followed protein-restricted diets with 20 healthy children. Children on restricted diets had similar growth and inflammatory markers to healthy peers, though they consumed more carbohydrates and fats. The researchers found that carefully planned restricted diets with fortified formulas could prevent nutritional deficiencies in these children.
Key points
- Dietary Inflammatory Index scores were similar between children with inborn errors of metabolism on restricted diets and healthy controls
- Anthropometric measurements (growth indicators) did not differ significantly between the two groups
- Children on restricted diets had higher intakes of carbohydrates and fats compared to controls
- Vitamin B1, C and E, iron, and magnesium intakes were higher in the patient group than controls
- Nutritional deficiencies can be prevented through careful nutrition management with vitamin and mineral-fortified formulas
Limitations
The study included only 20 affected children across three different metabolic disorders, which is a small sample size and may limit generalisability. The study is cross-sectional with no longitudinal follow-up, so it cannot show long-term outcomes or developmental effects.
Abstract
Background: The primary treatment for inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) involves restricted intake of natural protein. Inadequate diets can lead to an increased risk of inflammation and susceptibility to infections. The Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) is used to estimate whether a diet has anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the inflammatory index score of natural protein-restricted diets used in medical nutrition therapy for IEM intoxication, the anthropometric measurements and nutritional status of affected children. Method: The study included 20 patients (5 organic acidemia, 5 urea cycle disorders, 10 phenylketonuria) and 20 healthy children. Patients followed a natural protein-restricted diet, while the healthy control group maintained their usual dietary habits. Dietary records were collected for both groups, and the DII and macro-micronutrient intakes were calculated. Result: DII scores were similar between the patient and control groups. Anthropometric measurements did not differ significantly between the groups. However, carbohydrate and fat intakes were higher in the patient group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, comparative analyses revealed that vitamin B1, C and E, iron, and magnesium intakes were higher in the patient group than in the control group. Conclusions: Children on a natural protein-restricted diet showed growth patterns comparable to their healthy peers. This study demonstrated that nutritional deficiencies can be prevented in amino acid metabolism disorders treated with a natural protein-restricted diet by carefully controlling nutrition with vitamin and mineral-fortified formulas.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Protein-restricted natural diets with vitamin and mineral-fortified medical nutrition formulas
- Population
- 20 children with inborn errors of metabolism (organic acidemia, urea cycle disorders, phenylketonuria) aged and gender not specified; compared with 20 healthy children
Key finding
Dietary Inflammatory Index scores were similar between patient and control groups