The power of protien

[Guest guest]

By Lou Schuler

Posted on Wed Jan 30, 2008 at 08:57:19 AM EST

In

today's New York Times, a volunteer for Doctors Without Borders makes a plea

for help fighting malnutrition among children in the developing world:

Malnutrition can be fatal.

Every year, it contributes to the death of five million children under the age

of 5. But more of the same kind of food aid impoverished countries now receive

will do nothing to reduce these deaths. We need to focus on the food quality,

not just the quantity.

I recently spent a year running a nutritional program in Niger,

where, along with other parts of Africa and South Asia, the most cases of

childhood malnutrition are found. While there, I became convinced that large

numbers of deaths among acutely malnourished children can be prevented by using

an innovative nutrient-dense ready-to-use food that is revolutionizing the

treatment and prevention of acute malnutrition. If we are to combat

malnutrition, we must increase the use of this food and expand the range of

products.

The

food she's talking about is a paste made from powdered milk, peanuts, sugar,

and vegetable oil, with added vitamins and minerals. She says the success rate

in areas where they've used the paste are remarkable: 9 out of 10 malnourished

children recover.

But

there's a problem: When the U.S. and other countries supply food aid to

impoverished populations, it's in the form of flour. Yes, it's enriched

flour, but we're still talking about mostly empty calories.

Interestingly,

we have very strong evidence that providing

protein in addition to carbohydrates produces the best results, as

Salon's Leonard explains:

Between 1969 and 1977

residents of four villages in eastern Guatemala participated in a strange

lottery. Twice a day, in mid-morning and mid-afternoon, villagers were provided

free drinks. But in two of the villages, the participants gulped down a

fortified protein shake version of the local hot gruel known as atole.

In the other two villages they were given fresco, a drink free of

protein supplements. Everyone in the village was allowed to participate but

detailed records were only kept for pregnant women and children under seven.

" The main purpose of the initial study was to assess the

effect of improving protein intake on the mental development of preschool

children, " wrote the authors of one summary of results from the study. But

the eventual goals of a series of follow up studies became much more ambitious.

Researchers are now hoping to understand what role proper nutrition at an early

age plays in the development of " human capital " and in the potency of

humans as economic actors.

Here's the

latest analysis of those results, from The Lancet:

Undernutrition was strongly

associated, both in the review of published work and in new analyses, with

shorter adult height, less schooling, reduced economic productivity, and -- for

women -- lower offspring birthweight.

Put

another way, when you give protein-rich food to at-risk children, you end up

with adults who're taller, better educated, and more economically productive.

The girls who're well-nourished grow up to have healthier babies.

The

malnourished, meanwhile, are more likely to have chronic diseases, including

mental illness.

Here's

the summary:

We conclude that damage

suffered in early life leads to permanent impairment, and might also affect

future generations.

A

little protein strategically distributed can have positive effects far into the

future. So why are we still giving those children enriched flour, when the

benefits of inexpensive dietary protein are so clear and profound?

Wednesday blog meat

A new study of identical twins shows that a vigorous

life slows down aging, while a sedentary life speeds it up.

Just think: It wasn't so long ago that doctors believed exercise caused

your body to wear out faster.

Weird but apparently true: You can now buy marijuana from

vending machines in L.A. Of course, there are safeguards -- you

need a prescription, the vending machines are kept in rooms that are

guarded 24 hours a day, and you can't use the machines without being

photographed and fingerprinted. Still, we're talking about a doob-a-matic!