This project took place in
a Nutre Hogar (NH) rehabilitation center in David. Children
were selected for the project that had previously been
identified with malnutrition in the pediatric ward of the local
hospital, according to NH guidelines. The parents gave
permission for the children to be treated and cared for by NH
and NH was given guardianship of the children.
Children were randomly
assigned to one of two treatments: malt flour (PF) or no malt
flour when they entered the facility. To be included in the
study, a child had to be weaned from the bottle and eating
solids. This was a double-blind design as the center staff who
fed the children or who measured them did not know whether a
child was receiving PF or not. The code would not be broken
until after the statistics had been completed.
Cooks prepared the
appropriate recipes by measuring enough ingredients to prepare
the needed amounts for each group of children. After each
serving of oatmeal was placed in the glass (or bowl), a ¼
teaspoon of PF was added for those children on the PF treatment.
Oatmeal was given each morning at breakfast. For one of the
snacks in mid morning or mid afternoon, a serving of Crema was
given, and PF added appropriately for those children on the PF
treatment. These were the Crema drinks regularly used by the
Centers. The rest of the diet for all of the children was
identical—what was typically served at the Center.
Children were weighed (in KG and lbs) at least monthly (whatever
schedule the Center usually followed), and had their length (in
cm and in.) measured once per month. In addition, head
circumference (in mm) and mid-upper arm circumference (in mm) (MUAC)
was measured monthly. MUAC was taken by measuring with a tape
measure the length from the tip of the elbow (when the arm is
bent) to the tip of the collarbone, the midpoint was marked and
the circumference measurement taken at that point. Each of the
circumference measurements were done 3 times, recorded and then
averaged for better accuracy.
Children were included in the study for up to 6 months—or as
long as they were being treated in the Center. The PFN provided
the oatmeal and PF to use in the study, also a new length board
was provided. We also provided new measuring tapes.
After approximately two and half years, statistical analysis was
done on the measurements which had been sent via spread sheets
from Panama. Sixty five children were included in the
analysis. When the two groups were compared, the children who
had received Power Flour for 150 days (5 months) had gained an
average of 5.0 lbs; those who had not received PF had gained 2.5
lbs. This was statistically significant at the p< .01 level.
Thus it was clear in this pilot project that using Power Flour
had a very positive affect on the weight gains of these
children.
***High diastase malt flour is also known as Power Flour. It
has been tested for microbiological and chemical purity and is
used in the U.S. food supply in beverages, cereals, baked goods
and candies. Power Flour has been sent to 55 different
countries over the last ten years for use in refugee & feeding
centers, orphanages and village settings. The malt flour
contains alpha-amylase and diastase, which are enzymes that
digest complex carbohydrates. This happens very rapidly in a
starchy cereal product such as oatmeal. As the starch is
digested it becomes sugar so that the resulting oatmeal product
has a sweet taste. Two additional advantages to using PF are
that the thick cereal becomes a thinner, more liquid product,
which can be more easily consumed by small children. And, since
there is some pre-digestion of the oatmeal by the enzymes, it
should be more easily digested by the infant’s gastrointestinal
tract. The amylase is not active in the stomach because the
high acidity there denatures the enzyme since amylase is a
protein molecule.
Dr.
Sondra King, Professor Emeritus
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL
Power Flour Action Network
Tom Hartzell, President
