The effects of micronutrient-fortified complementary/replacement food on intestinal permeability and systemic markers of inflammation among maternally HIV-exposed and unexposed Zambian infants

The present randomised trial investigated the effects of feeding Zambian infants from 6 to 18 months old either a richly or basal micronutrient-fortified complementary/replacement food on gut integrity and systemic inflammation. Blood samples were obtained from all infants (n 743) at 6 and 18 months for the assessment of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). A subsample of 502 infants, selected from the main cohort to include a larger proportion of infants with HIV-positive mothers, was assigned to lactulose/mannitol gut permeability tests. Lactulose:mannitol (L:M) ratio analyses were adjusted for baseline urinary L:M ratio, socio-economic status, mother's education, season of birth and baseline stunting, and stratified by maternal antenatal HIV status, child's sex, concurrent breast-feeding status and anaemia at baseline. There was no significant difference in geometric mean L:M ratio between the richly fortified and basal-fortified porridge arms at 12 months (0•47 (95 % CI 0•41, 0•55) v. 0•41 (95 % CI 0•34, 0•49); P = 0•16 adjusted). At 18 months, the richly fortified porridge group had a significantly higher geometric mean L:M ratio than the basal-fortified group (0•23 (95 % CI 0•19, 0•28) v. 0•15 (95 % CI 0•12, 0•19); P = 0•02 adjusted). This effect was evident for all stratifications, significantly among boys (P = 0•04), among the infants of HIV-negative mothers (P = 0•01), among the infants of HIV-negative mothers not concurrently breast-fed (P = 0•01) and among those who were not anaemic at baseline (P = 0•03). CRP, but not AGP, was positively associated with L:M ratio, but there were no significant effects of the diet on either CRP or AGP. In conclusion, a richly fortified complementary/replacement food did not benefit and may have worsened intestinal permeability.