TITLE:
Nutritional Status of Patients with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis from a Tropical Area of Bolivia, and Implications for Zinc Bioavailability
AUTHORS:
Claudia E. Lazarte, Claudia Alegre, Ernesto Rojas, Yvonne Granfeldt
KEYWORDS:
Nutritional Status; Leishmaniasis; Dietary Intake; Anthropometrics; Zinc Bioavailability; Phytates
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.4 No.10A,
October
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: Macro and micronutrient deficiencies
are a significant problem among people in rural areas in developing countries.
Deficiencies may lead to an impaired immune system making the organism
vulnerable to infections and diseases. In this paper, the dietary intake,
anthropometric measurements, zinc and copper levels in serum, of patients with
cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) are
compared with a group of healthy controls and reference values. Results showed
no significant differences in most nutrient intake or anthropometrics between
patients and controls. However, serum zinc level of patients (80 μg/dl) was significantly lower (P 0.001) than in controls (85 μg/dl), likely explained by the
presence of leishmaniasis. The median serum zinc level in both groups was below
the reference values, even though their median zinc intake met the zinc
recommendations from WHO. Consequently, besides the presence of leishmaniasis,
serum zinc levels may be compromised by inhibitory components in their diet,
such as phytates, as it is shown by the molar ratio phytate:zinc (Phy:Zn) that
was between 11 and 19, while 15 is the level said to compromise zinc status.
There were significant (P 0.05) negative
correlations between serum zinc and Phy:Zn, for patients (r = - 0.413)
and controls (r = - 0.410). In conclusion this study
shows that patients with CL in Chapare, Bolivia had low serum zinc levels due
to the leishmaniasis per se and the decreased zinc bioavailability in their
diet. CL infection was not in direct association with the nutritional status
indicated by the anthropometric or dietary assessments. However, dietary intake
showed 5 essential nutrients below the nutrient recommendation in both groups.