A Study of the Protein Needs of Preschool Children

Abstract

In an endeavor to determine the amount of protein which children of preschool age should be given, nitrogen retentions at various levels of ingestion have been studied in children from 37 to 66 months of age. The data have been evaluated, first, in relation to weight, both actual and theoretical; and, second, in relation to the creatinine eliminations which were taken as a measure of muscle needs. The results based on the creatinine eliminations were found to be more consistent than those by other methods tested. Interpreting the data based on creatinine elimination in terms of theoretical weight of the children studied, it is concluded that children of the ages considered should receive approximately 3.2 gm. of protein per kilogram (N.×6.25) or 1.5 gm. of protein per pound in diets furnishing at least 50 per cent of the protein from animal sources.