Ferro-Luzzi A, D'Amicis A, Ferrini A M, Maiale G
Bibl Nutr Dieta. 1979(27):85-106. doi: 10.1159/000402374.
While overt malnutrition is known to interfere with several bodily functions and to cause a deterioration of the level of physical performance, little or no information is available on the effect of marginal nutrition on functional development, particularly at earlier ages. A cross-sectional study of the diet, somatic development and functional response to exercise of 2,241 children, aged 1-6 years, representing contrasting socioeconomic environments, has been carried out. The findings indicate that the upper socioeconomic urban child from Central Italy consumes a better diet and is larger than the underprivileged Southern child. While a greater proportion of the latter group experience a considerable degree of growth retardation, the better efficiency of their heart responses to exercise indicates that the level of nutrition of these children is still good enough to be compatible with a more satisfactory degree of physical fitness. The body fat content and skinfold thickness of the child from the Center have found to be significantly higher than those of the children from the poorer sections of the population, suggesting that at least part of the extra energy available to him for physical activity is being deposited as fat. This raises the question of the desirability of changes in somatic development characteristic of upward social mobility, when accompanied by increased adiposity without a proportional increase in the functional capacity.
虽然已知明显的营养不良会干扰多种身体功能并导致身体机能水平下降，但关于边缘性营养对功能发育的影响，尤其是在较早年龄段的影响，几乎没有相关信息。我们对2241名年龄在1至6岁、代表不同社会经济环境的儿童进行了一项关于饮食、身体发育和运动功能反应的横断面研究。研究结果表明，意大利中部社会经济地位较高的城市儿童饮食更好，身材也比贫困的南部儿童更大。虽然后一组中有较大比例的儿童经历了相当程度的生长发育迟缓，但他们心脏对运动的反应效率更高，这表明这些儿童的营养水平仍然足以维持更令人满意的身体素质。研究发现，来自中部地区的儿童的体脂含量和皮褶厚度明显高于贫困地区儿童，这表明他可用于体育活动的额外能量中至少有一部分以脂肪的形式储存起来。这就提出了一个问题：当社会向上流动伴随着肥胖增加而功能能力没有相应增加时，身体发育特征发生变化是否可取。
