Ad lib. feeding during recovery from malnutrition

Ten severly malnourished children were studied. During recovery the mean energy intake was 916kj (219kcal)/kg per d when the children were fed ad lib. on a high-energy milk preparation. When a lower-energy milk preparation was given ad lib. the children voluntarily increased the volume consumed but the mean energy intake fell to 703 kj (168 kcal)/kg per d. After recovery the children no longer consumed an increased volume when the lower-energy milk preparation was offered. The results provide further evidence of the importance of feeding with a high-energy preparation for the treatment of malnutrition, and demonstrate that additional benefits can be obtained by offering such mixtures ad lib. (AU)