The nutrient supply nursery A seems quite good, for the weight and height of the children of this nursery gradually rose from a lower level to that of the average value, that is about 100% of the average value (Table 1) The energy and protein intake of the children were quite constant. This means that this amount of energy and protein taken were sufficient for the children to follow the lower value of the weight and height at the beginning and gradually rose to the higher level at the end, while the energy and protein intake were almost the same , was considered to be due to the unfavorable background in their health and nytritional status, and a change of food pattern during the experimental period. For instance, the animal food intake had raised from 20g per day in the first year to 33g and 44g day in the second and third year, respectively (Table 2). The animal protein intake as its percentage of the total protein intake had also raised from 24 to 36 and 40, respectively (Table 3). So the diet in the later part of the experimental period is presumably adequate fr these children.
Nursery B
On the other hand, the diet in nursery B was apparently not adequate for the children to follow the normal growth curves, because at the end of the experimental period, the body weight and height of the children were still far below that of average value.As still far below that of the average value.As stated above, there was some some improvement in body weight and height, but it still could not attain the average value at the end.
The dietary surveys showed that the average energy and protein intake of the children of nursery A were about 90% of that of the RDA, that is near 90 kcal and 2.8g protein per kg of body weight (Table 3).That of the nursery B were about 83% and 75% of the RDA, respectively. Children in these nurseries were encourage to eat as much as they can , so the amount of foods intake is not a man made effect, at least the main reason is not due to the restriction of the foods. The protein score of the diet of nursery A and B were 76 and 60, respectively. The intake of all the nutrients, except ascorbic acid, by the children of nursery B as calculated were lower than those of the nursery A (Table 3). The main difference of the foods taken by the children of the two nurseries was that in nursery A, the diet contained about ΒΌ kg milk per child per day (Table 2), while in nursery B there was no milk at all.
Additional informations have been obtained from some other short term nutritional surveys, In nursery C, D and E (3), the nutrients intake that of nursery A, but the body weight and height of the children of these nurseries were no better than that of the nursery A. So the conclusion must be that the diet pattern abd the amount of nutrients provided by nursery A are adequate for normal growth, and the increase in nutrients intake do not further improve the growth of the children.
Are the lower intake of protein responsible for the low body weight and height of the children in nursery B ?