Assessment of nutritional status.

This review is a critical evaluation of the various methods of assessing the nutritional state of a community. Greater emphasis has been placed on the more recently developed and highly sensitive immunochemical and immunobiological methods because biochemical and immunological changes occur long before any anthropometric abnormality can be detected. Of the serum proteins the transferrin level would appear to be the most sensitive (and most practical) index of nutritional state. The immunochemical estimation of this protein is therefore recommended in the assessment of nutritional status. When adequate precautions are taken in the handling of specimens complement (C3) levels may also yield valuable information. Of the hormones triiodothyronine (T3) would appear to be the most sensitive as an index of nutritional state. For the rapid monitoring of nutritional programmes it is important that facilitates for these procedures be made as rapidly and widely available as possible.