Dietary supplementation and improvement in physical work performance of agricultural migrant workers of southern Brazil

A three-month trial was carried out on 14 agricultural migrant workers (Bóias-Frias) residing on the periphery of Ribeirão Preto, an agricultural and industrial town in the interior of the State of São Paulo in southern Brazil. This group can be considered as marginally malnourished. Their nutritional status and physical work performance was measured before and after receiving a supplemented lunch over a three-month period. The main change in their nutritional status during this period was an increase in body weight. Their physical work performance, as measured by a bicycle ergometer test, improved significantly after the supplementation of their traditional diet.