Studies on Fat Metabolism in Kwashiorkor

Abstract

Serum fatty acids were fractionated in eight control infants and in nineteen infants with kwashiorkor. During the treatment of infants with this syndrome, profound changes in the serum pattern of various polyunsaturated fatty acids were observed. It is of interest that these changes mimic those which are reported to occur during the development of “essential fatty acid” deficiency in the rat. It is suggested that the underlying basis of these changes is the mobili sation of hepatic and depot fat during the recovery phase.