The Effects of 60 Days of Tray Ration Consumption in Marine Combat Engineers While Deployed on Great Inagua Island, Bahamas.

This study evaluated the ability of the Tray Pack Rations Ration to adequately sustain Marines, without causing excessive weight loss andor gastrointestinal GI symptoms, during a 60-day Marine construction mission. Volunteers n 35 were randomly assigned to receive either 2 T Ration meals breakfast and dinner and 1 Meal, Ready-to-Eat MRE T group, or 2 B Ration meals and 1 MRE B group. Volunteers n 19 in the T group all with a rank of E-4 or below, but none in the B group, dropped for food related reasons Seventeen volunteers in the T group and 34 in the B group finished the study and remained in their assigned group. Measures obtained were dietary intakes, ration acceptability, and energy expenditure n 15 determined by doubly-labeled water, subjective GI symptoms and mood states, physical performance and weekly body weights. Neither group reported GI symptoms. The type of ration did not affect sleep, mood or physical performance. Weight losses, which did not significantly differ between ration groups, exceeded the 3 criterion by Day 56. Both groups were in negative energy balance. However, in comparison to administrative personnel and construction engineers in the B group, Construction engineers in the T group experienced the greatest energy deficit -950 kcalday. Mean nutrient intakes of the T group did not meet the Military Recommended Dietary Allowances for energy, folate, magnesium, and zinc and also did not achieve the dietary recommendations for carbohydrate and dietary fiber. Relative to the B group, the T group consumed significantly less energy, carbohydrate, protein, dietary fiber, vitamin A, folate, thiamin, vitamin C, magnesium, and phosphorus. T Ration entrees were initially acceptable, but their ratings declined to dislike after repeated exposure.