Antioxidants and pancreatic beta-cell function in malnourished infants a causal relationship

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out on 30 infants between 6 and 24 months of age. They were equally divided into age and sex matched three groups of normally growing infants, marasmus, and kwashiorkor cases. Fasting levels of blood glucose, C-peptide, zinc, and vitamins A, E, and C were estimated. Blood glucose and C-peptide levels were serially estimated 1/2 and 2 hours after IV administration of 10 ml/kg of glucose 10% given as a bolus. None of the malnourished cases developed fasting hypoglycemia. Malnourished infants showed a postprandial diabetic- like curve after IV glucose challenge test concomitant with inappropriate increase in C- peptide secretion. They had also a significantly lower C- peptide /glucose ratio than the normally growing infants. Malnourished cases had a lower serum levels of zinc, vitamins A, E, and C. The glucose intolerance- manifested by low C-peptide /glucose ratio- was more evident among kwashiorkor cases who had also significantly lower levels of serum zinc and vitamin A than cases of marasmus. We suggested an association between glucose intolerance, poor cell response to IV glucose challenge test and the low serum levels of the antioxidants- zinc, vitamins A, E, and C among malnourished infants especially kwashiorkor cases that showed significantly lower results: