Abstract
OPINION is still divided as to whether the metabolic rate of malnourished infants is increased or decreased, or whether, indeed, it remains the same1–17. The conflicting evidence probably arises from lack of suitable standards of reference and differing interpretations of the basal state. In addition, the term malnutrition or under-nutrition has been applied to a variety of clinical conditions from primordial dwarfism to simple fasting. The confusion, however, is small in comparison with that surrounding the phenomenon of specific dynamic action. The present study has the disadvantage of having to deal with both of these difficult issues.
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ASHWORTH, A. Metabolic Rates during Recovery from Protein–Calorie Malnutrition: the Need for a New Concept of Specific Dynamic Action. Nature 223, 407–409 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/223407a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/223407a0
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