Anemia and amino acid profiles among stunted children in rural areas

Background: Protein intake is essential for children’s growth. Limited dietary diversity, which is more common in rural areas, can lead to protein deficiency, anemia, and disrupted metabolic processes. The purpose of this study was to explore anemia and amino acid profiles in stunted children living in rural settings. Methods: A total of 80 children, 54 stunted and 26 non-stunted, participated in this study. Collected data included anthropometric measurement (height-for-age Z-score); hematological parameters of red blood cells (RBCs), including the hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), erythrocytes; iron status indicators, such as serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), serum ferritin, transferrin saturation (TS), protein status markers (albumin, total protein), and 21 amino acid profiles. Results: The findings revealed that 63% of stunted children were anemic with low Hb and 24.1% of them was anemic with iron deficiency. Lower levels of albumin and total protein were also observed in stunted children as well as lower concentrations of amino acid arginine and branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), specifically valine and leucine compared to non-stunted children (p<0.05). On the other hand, they exhibited high concentrations of histidine, glycine, tyrosine, asparagine, and citrulline, p<0.05. Conclusions: This study showed that stunted children had anemia and low levels of BCAA.