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The impact of quality complementary food products on infant growth and body composition has not been adequately investigated. This study evaluated the effect on fat‐free mass (FFM) accrual, linear growth, and iron status of locally produced complementary food products comparing to a standard product. In a randomized, double‐blind trial, 499 infants at 6 months received nine monthly rations of (a) WinFood Classic (WFC) comprising germinated amaranth (71%), maize (10.4%), small fish (3%), and edible termites (10%); (b) WinFood Lite (WFL) comprising germinated amaranth (82.5%), maize (10.2%), and multimicronutrient premix; or (c) fortified corn–soy blend plus (CSB+). Primary outcomes were changes in FFM, length, and plasma ferritin and transferrin receptors (TfR). FFM was determined using deuterium dilution. Analysis was by intention to treat, based on available cases. Compared with CSB+, there were no differences in change from 6 to 15 months in FFM for WFC 0.0 kg (95% CI [−0.30, 0.29]) and WFL 0.03 kg (95% CI [−0.25, 0.32]) and length change for WFC −0.3 cm (95% CI [−0.9, 0.4]) and WFL −0.3 cm (95% CI [−0.9, 0.3]). TfR increased in WFC group 3.3 mg L−1 (95% CI [1.7, 4.9]) and WFL group 1.7 mg L−1 (95% CI [0.1, 3.4]) compared with CSB+. Compared with the increase in Hb in CSB+ group, there was a reduction in Hb in WFC of −0.9 g dl−1 (95% CI [−1.3, −0.5]) and a lower increase in WFL −0.4 g dl−1 (95% CI [−0.8, 0.0]). In conclusion, the tested WinFoods had the same effect on FFM and length as CSB+, whereas Hb and iron status decreased, suggesting inhibited iron bioavailability from the amaranth‐based WinFoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community‐based Management of Acute Malnutrition using ready‐to‐use therapeutic food (RUTF) has revolutionised the treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM). However, 25% milk content in standard peanut‐based RUTF (P‐RUTF) makes it too expensive. The effectiveness of milk‐free RUTF has not been reported hitherto. This non‐blinded, parallel group, cluster randomised, controlled, equivalence trial that compares the effectiveness of a milk‐free soy–maize–sorghum‐based RUTF (SMS‐RUTF) with P‐RUTF in treatment of children with SAM, closes the gap. A statistician randomly assigned health centres (HC) either to the SMS‐RUTF (n = 12; 824 enrolled) or P‐RUTF (n = 12; 1103 enrolled) arms. All SAM children admitted at the participating HCs were enrolled. All the outcomes were measured at individual level. Recovery rate was the primary outcome. The recovery rates for SMS‐RUTF and P‐RUTF were 53.3% and 60.8% for the intention‐to‐treat (ITT) analysis and 77.9% and 81.8% for per protocol (PP) analyses, respectively. The corresponding adjusted risk difference (ARD) and 95% confidence interval, were −7.6% (−14.9, 0.6%) and −3.5% (−9,6., 2.7%) for ITT (P = 0.034) and PP analyses (P = 0.257), respectively. An unanticipated interaction (interaction P < 0.001 for ITT analyses and 0.0683 for PP analyses) between the study arm and age group was observed. The ARDs were −10.0 (−17.7 to −2.3)% for ITT (P = 0.013) and −4.7 (−10.0 to 0.7) for PP (P = 0.083) analyses for the <24 months age group and 2.1 (−10.3,14.6)% for ITT (P = 0.726) and −0.6 (−16.1, 14.5) for PP (P = 0.939) for the ≥24 months age group. In conclusion, the study did not confirm our hypothesis of equivalence between SMS‐RUTF and P‐RUTF in SAM management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cost of ready-to-use therapeutic food ( RUTF) used in community-based management of acute malnutrition has been a major obstacle to the scale up of this important child survival strategy. The current standard recipe for RUTF [peanut-based RUTF ( P- RUTF )] is made from peanut paste, milk powder, oil, sugar, and minerals and vitamins. Milk powder forms about 30% of the ingredients and may represent over half the cost of the final product. The quality of whey protein concentrates 34% ( WPC34) is similar to that of dried skimmed milk ( DSM) used in the standard recipe and can be 25-33% cheaper. This blinded, parallel group, randomised, controlled non-inferiority clinical trial tested the effectiveness in treating severe acute malnutrition ( SAM) of a new RUTF formulation WPC- RUTF in which WPC34 was used to replace DSM. Average weight gain (non-inferiority margin Δ = −1.2 g kg−1 day−1) and recovery rate (Δ = −10%) were the primary outcomes, and length of stay ( LOS) was the secondary outcome (Δ = +14 days). Both per-protocol ( PP) and intention-to-treat ( ITT) analyses showed that WPC- RUTF was not inferior to P- RUTF for recovery rate [difference and its 95% confidence interval ( CI) of 0.5% (95% CI -2.7, 3.7) in PP analysis and 0.6% (95% CI -5.2, 6.3) in ITT analysis] for average weight gain [0.2 (−0.5; 0.9) for both analyses] and LOS [−1.6 days (95% CI, −4.6, 1.4 days) in PP analysis and −1.9 days (95% CI, −4.6, 0.8 days) for ITT analysis]. In conclusion, whey protein-based RUTF is an effective cheaper alternative to the standard milk-based RUTF for the treatment of SAM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut milk-based ready-to-use therapeutic food (P-RUTF) primarily used to treat severe acute malnutrition at community setting is expensive. We developed an alternative milk-free soybean-maize-sorghum-based RUTF (SMS-RUTF) using locally grown ingredients that have the potential to support local economy and reduce the cost of RUTF. We describe the production process and results of acceptability of the new product. Acceptability and tolerance of SMS-RUTF was compared with P-RUTF among 45 children aged 4-11 years old based on a cross-over design. Each child consumed 250 g RUTF for 10 days followed by a five-day washout period and a subsequent 10-day period on the second RUTF. The SMS-RUTF was as acceptable as the P-RUTF among normal children aged 4-11 years of age with no associated adverse effects. SMS-RUTF was stable for at least 12 months without detectable microbiological or chemical deterioration. The major challenge encountered in SMS-RUTF development was the difficulty to accurately determine key nutrient composition due to its high oil content. Use of diversified locally available ingredients to produce RUTF is feasible. The SMS-RUTF meets expected standards and is acceptable to children aged 4-11 months old. Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SMS-RUTF is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence of the effectiveness of lipid-based ready-to- use complementary foods (RUCF) at improving linear growth among infants aged 6-12 mo is scarce, and further work is warranted. Objective: The objective was to assess the effectiveness of a fortified soybean-maize-sorghum RUCF paste compared with a fortified corn soy blend (UNIMIX) porridge on the prevalence of underweight and stunting among infants in South Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Design: Infants were randomly assigned at 6 mo of age to receive either RUCF (n = 691) or UNIMIX (n = 692) for 6 mo. In addition to admission and monthly anthropometric measurements, hemoglobin, triglyceride, and cholesterol were measured at enrollment and at the end of the study. Results: No significant differences in the prevalence of stunting (RUCF: 48.6%; UNIMIX: 46.4%; P = 0.31), the prevalence of underweight (RUCF: 20.4%; UNIMIX: 18.2%; P = 0.42), or weight gain (RUCF: 1.2 ± 0.7 kg; UNIMIX: 1.3 ± 0.7 kg; P = 0.08) were found. A small but statistically significant difference in length gain (RUCF: 5.2 ± 2.0; UNIMIX: 5.4 ± 2.0; P = 0.03) was found. No significant differences in the concentrations of hemoglobin, serum triglyceride, and serum cholesterol were found between the 2 groups. Conclusion: No significant differences were found between the RUCF and UNIMIX in the reduction of the prevalence of stunting and underweight at 12 mo of age among rural Congolese infants. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN20267635. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]