Eating Orange Sweet Potato Reduces Diarrhea in Young Children

For children who had diarrhea, eating orange sweet potato reduced the duration of illness by more than 10% in kids under five, and 25% in kids under 3.

Orange sweet potato (OSP), rich in Vitamin A, reduces both the prevalence and duration of diarrhea in young children, suggests a new study.

"The beta-carotene in OSP is converted into vitamin A the same day the OSP is eaten," said Erick Boy, the head of Nutrition at HarvestPlus, a global program to improve nutrition.

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"This vitamin A is used by the cells lining the gut to help form a barrier to invading germs. These cells are regenerated every few days, so cells that have been weakened due to lack of vitamin A are quickly replaced by healthy cells when there is enough vitamin A."

The study found a 42% reduction in the likelihood that children under the age of five who ate OSP within the past week would experience diarrhea.

The study appeared in journal World Development.

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For children under three years of age who ate OSP, the likelihood of having diarrhea was reduced by more than half (52%).

The OSP also reduces the duration of diarrhea.

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For children who had diarrhea, eating OSP reduced the duration of illness by more than 10% in children under five, and more than 25% in children aged under three.

"Using OSP to provide vitamin A is a fraction of that cost. Given the popularity of OSP -- children especially love its taste -- we think it is a sustainable solution to improving nutrition and child health in many countries complemented by supplementation where it is cost-effective," Alan de Brauw, senior research fellow at International Food Policy Research Institute, said.

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Source-IANS