Identification of potential biomarkers in malnutrition children with severity by 1 H-NMR-based metabolomics: a preliminary study in the Chinese population.

Eight potential biomarkers, including acetoacetate, acetone, ethanol, succinate, 3-hydroxybutyrate, alanine, methionine, and N-acetyl-glycoprotein, could characterize the child malnutrition. Child malnutrition-induced abnormal energy metabolism, impaired nutrition utilization and the reduced nutrient availability, and more metabolic disturbance will appear with the severity. Our results are valuable for further studies on the etiology and pathogenesis of malnutrition for clinical intervention and improvement.