AN amino acid found in nuts and other foods may protect children from the worst ravages of malaria.
A study in Tanzania showed children with cerebral malaria have lower blood levels of the amino acid arginine than children with milder forms of malaria, who in turn have lower levels than healthy children (The Lancet, vol 361, p 676). Nick Anstey of the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin, Australia, says arginine deficiency is associated with low levels of nitric oxide, which helps immune cells fight the malaria parasite. The amino acid could be given in addition to malaria drugs.…
