Abstract

MAZO E, Santiago Alberto  and  ARIAS, Samuel Andrés. Efficacy and safety of milk fermented by lactobacillus (kumis) in nutritional recovery of undernourished children and control of their diarrhea episodes. Rev. Fac. Nac. Salud Pública [online]. 2006, vol.24, n.2, pp.83-97. ISSN 0120-386X.

Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of drinking milk fermented by lactobacillus (kumis) in the weight gain and diminution of frequency and duration of acute diarrhea episodes in acute undernourished children as part of their process of nutritional recovery. Materials and methods: 43 children between 10 months and 5 years old randomly received the institutional diet of El Dulce Hogar institution plus either kumis (n = 20) or lactose-free milk (n = 23) during a period of 45 days, during which daily food consumption and presence of diarrhea as well as a follow-up of weight gain 3 times per week were recorded. Results: for kumis and lactose-free groups the total gain of weight was 866.5 g ± 426,7 versus 784.7 g ± 515.9, (p = 0,368) respectively. The amount of days children presented with acute undernourishment were 35 ± 5 versus 40 ± 5. Episodes of acute diarrhea were 1,2 ± 0,4 versus 2,0 ± 1,2, (p = 0,162). Duration of these episodes was 2,38 ± 2,78 versus 4,30 ± 4,05 days (p = 0,354) and defecations during episodes of diarrhea were 10,78 ±10,67 versus 15,10 ± 13,98 (p = 0,202). Conclusion: weight gain was higher and faster and the frequency and duration of episodes of diarrhea was lower in the kumis group than in the lactose-free milk group, although these differences were not statistically significant.

Keywords : Probiotics; lactobacillus; fermented milk; kumis; acute diarrhea; acute undernourishment; nutritional recovery.

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