A Model of the Effects of GI Disease and Diet on Child Body Composition in Order to Improve Outcomes in Those Suffering from Malnutrition

Rena J. Eudy-Byrne, Ph.D., presented at the 17th American Pediatrics Healthcare & Infectious Diseases Congress in Vancouver, Canada on June 28, 2018. You can see the presentation here.

HBGDki M3 Gut & Growth Model

To understand and separate effects of nutrition and disease on infant growth, a physiologically-based mathematical model was developed describing fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) from birth to 2 years. This app allows a user to simulate individual infant phenotypes and infection events and visualize growth and energy levels over time, relative to healthy (WHO) standards.

Physiological aspects of infant growth that can be explored in the app include:

• macronutrient absorption efficiencies
• deposition of metabolizable energy into FM and FFM
• total energy expenditure
• dynamics of severe bacterial and viral infections
• effects of malnutrition on GI/immune function
• recovery from malnutrition

Explore the Gut & Growth App