Nutrient quality of fat- and cholesterol-modified diets of children with hyperlipidemia
N. Copperman, J. Schebendach, M. R. Arden and M. S. Jacobson
Department of Pediatrics, Schneider Children's Hospital of Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the nutritional adequacy of low-fat, low-saturated
fat, low-cholesterol-modified diets of children with hyperlipidemia.
DESIGN: Case comparison study. SETTING: Tertiary care ambulatory pediatric
atherosclerosis prevention center. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: White
middle-class suburban children. Subjects were 54 consecutive children with
hyperlipidemia (26 boys) with a mean (+/- SD) age of 10.8 +/- 3.4 years.
Controls were 44 healthy children (19 boys) aged 10.8 +/- 0.9 years
recruited from a local elementary school. INTERVENTION: The subjects
received individual nutrition counseling on a National Cholesterol
Education Program Step I Diet from a registered dietitian. MAIN OUTCOME
MEASURE: The 3-day written food records were analyzed by a registered
dietitian using the Minnesota Nutrient Data System. Outcome measures were
intakes of energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and minerals as a percentage of
the Recommended Dietary Allowance. The means between cases and controls
were compared by Student's t test. RESULTS: There was no significant
difference in consumption of energy, minerals, or vitamins D and E between
the groups. The control group's diet contained significantly greater
amounts of fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. The children with
hyperlipidemia consumed significantly more vitamin A (P < .005).
CONCLUSION: The nutrient quality of fat- and cholesterol-modified diets of
children who have received nutritional counseling compares favorably with
the nutrient quality of controls on an unrestricted diet. Therefore,
pediatricians can prescribe with confidence a Step I Diet for children with
hyperlipidemia and adolescents when nutritional counseling is available.
