Evaluation of a low-lactose nutritional supplement in malnourished children.

A low-lactose food supplement was evaluated. Severely malnourished patients initially managed on the diet had uneventful courses of recovery, although serum cholesterol remained elevated after serum triglycerides had returned to normal. Nitrogen retention in convalescent malnourished children was slightly inferior to the casein-based control diet. Postprandial determinations of plasma amino acids suggested that the sulfur-containing amino acids were first-limiting in the product. The sattsfactory performance under these stringent test conditions, however, suggested that the product would serve well its intended purpose as a dietary supplement.