Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Double-Blind Parallel Treatment Randomized Controlled Trial of Prebiotics Efficacy for Severe Acute Malnutrition Children in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Version 1 : Received: 18 March 2023 / Approved: 21 March 2023 / Online: 21 March 2023 (01:32:08 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Batool, M.; Saleem, J.; Zakar, R.; Iqbal, S.; Shahzad, R.; Butt, M.S.; Haider, S.; Fischer, F. Double-Blind Parallel Treatment Randomized Controlled Trial of Prebiotics’ Efficacy for Children Experiencing Severe Acute Malnutrition in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Children 2023, 10, 783. Batool, M.; Saleem, J.; Zakar, R.; Iqbal, S.; Shahzad, R.; Butt, M.S.; Haider, S.; Fischer, F. Double-Blind Parallel Treatment Randomized Controlled Trial of Prebiotics’ Efficacy for Children Experiencing Severe Acute Malnutrition in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Children 2023, 10, 783.

Abstract

Prevalence of malnutrition among children under five is alarmingly high in Pakistan. However, there are ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) available which may be used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM). This study aims to assess the efficacy of prebiotics as a synergistic additive to RUTF to enhance blood parameters and anthropometric measurements in children with uncomplicated SAM living in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A double-blind parallel treatment randomized controlled trial was conducted on 204 children aged between 6-59 months. Participants were randomized and allocated to the placebo (n=102) and experimental arms (n=102) at a 1:1 ratio. One group of children were provided RUTF and 4 g prebiotics, while the other group were given RUTF and starch as a placebo. Participants recruited for both arms were given treatment for eight weeks, and then their biochemical and anthropometric outcomes were evaluated. A substantial difference between the mean weight, mid upper arm circumference, haemoglobin, haematocrit, platelet count, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, and albumin was revealed. Conclusively, supplementation with RUTF and prebiotics has proven to be an efficient, effective and safe therapy for children suffering from SAM to improve their growth and development indicators and reduce the dangers of malnutrition in comparison to RUTF alone.

Keywords

RUTF; prebiotics; SAM; CMAM; malnourishment

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.