A recent randomised clinical trial examined the role of an energy-dense diet on the clinical outcome of malnourished children with acute dysentery due to shigellosis. Seventy five children aged 12-48 months with acute dysentery randomly received either a milk-cereal formula with an energy density of 4960 kJ/l (1185 kcal/l2) (test group) or a milk-cereal formula with energy of 2480 kJ/l (593 kcal/l) (control group) for 10 days in hospital. In addition the standard hospital diet was offered to all children and all received an appropriate antibiotic for 5 days.