Long-Term Risks and Benefits for Children Treated for Moderate Acute Malnutrition Using Ready-to-Use Foods

This study aimed to understand the potential longer term health risks and benefits of treating moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) with ready-to-use foods (RUTF), and is a direct response to research questions raised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2017. No previous studies had considered the exploration of body composition and food insecurity status following treatment of MAM using RUTF. This study added body composition, muscle strength and fasting glucose, as well as food insecurity measures, to the 4-month post-discharge follow-up of children in the ComPAS trial described immediately above.

Results from the study indicate that body composition indicators are not significantly different at 4 months post-discharge in children treated with RUTF vs ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF). There is no evidence of a difference in any of the outcomes assessed (body composition or relapse) in children treated with the combined protocol using RUTF vs the standard protocol using RUSF.