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Prolonged Consumption of Potato-Based Diets by Infants and Small Children^1,2,

Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional, Apartado 55, Miraflores (Lima), Peru, and Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, and Division of Human Nutrition, Department of International Health, School of Hygiene and Public Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205

A previous short-term study demonstrated that infants and children could consume diets in which 75% of energy and all protein was provided by the white potato. Nitrogen balance was inferior to casein control at this level of protein intake. Potato intake was limited by the bulk of the diets and the poor digestibility of carbohydrates. In the present study 10 children were offered diets containing 50%, 75% and 84.2% of total energy as potato (Solanum Tuberosum ssp. andigena) during a period of 3 months. Casein was added to the 50 and 75% diets to complete 8% of energy as protein (N x 6.25). Acceptability, tolerance, digestibility and growth of the children were analyzed. The 84.2% potato studies were aborted shortly after the beginning because of the excessively large volume. Acceptability and tolerance to the 50% potato diets were excellent but with the 75% potato diets were noted to decrease during the last days of the studies. Six of the eight children who completed the studies showed satisfactory weight gain and catch-up growth while maintaining normal serum albumin concentrations. In one other, weight gain was adequate but did not achieve catch-up growth, and in the youngest child weight gain and linear growth were inadequate. Metabolic balances did not show improvement or deterioration of digestibility throughout the study. Infants can consume up to 50–75% of energy and as much as 80% of their nitrogen requirements as potato if the remaining energy and nitrogen is provided by a non-bulky, easily digestible food.

KEY WORDS: • infant nutrition • potato • growth

¹ Protcols for these studies were approved by the Joint Committee on Human Investigation, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and the corresponding committee of the Instituto de Investigacion Nutricional, Lima, Peru. Informed consent was obtained from the parent of all children participating in the studies.

² Supported by Research Contract AID/ta-C-1286 with the Agency for International Development, U.S. Department of State and by Research Grant HD 10111 from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service.

³ To whom reprint requests should be sent: The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21205.

Manuscript received 2 January 1981.