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- $Unique_ID{BRK01620}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Children and Low Cholesterol Diet}
- $Subject{diet cholesterol kid kids Community Social Problems Children
- atherosclerosis clogging arteries coronary artery disease fat nutrition child
- care diets dietary eat eats eating nutritious nutrient nutrients food foods}
- $Volume{Q-23,S-23}
- $Log{
- Atherosclerosis of Arteries*0009301.scf
- Risk Factors of Atherosclerosis*0009302.scf
- Complications of Atherosclerosis*0009401.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Children and Low Cholesterol Diet
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- QUESTION: I know I have heard that even children should have a low
- cholesterol diet. I am not sure I understand just how that it is done. Can
- you please explain? Do you think this is a good idea?
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- ANSWER: It's a very good idea. High levels of cholesterol in the diet lead
- to atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries. It may take years for high
- cholesterol levels to damage arteries, but why let it start early? Autopsies
- of children who have died of other causes have shown that artery clogging has
- already begun in some children. In addition, there is a direct link between
- children's diet and coronary artery disease in adults.
- The trouble with saying that children should cut back on their fat and
- cholesterol intake is that it is hard to create a diet that does so and still
- gives sufficient nutrition for growth. Growing children need more protein and
- calcium in their diets than adults do. The American Academy of Pediatrics has
- made several recommendations for children's diet. The first is that infants
- should be breast fed when possible, or barring that, fed infant formula for
- the first six months, followed by supplemental foods of cereal and fruits with
- whole cow's milk for the second six months. After age 1, children should
- receive a balanced varied diet with food from each of the four major food
- groups. The key word here is balanced. Diets that avoid extremes are safest
- for children.
- The Academy recommends that children over age 2 limit fat intake to 30
- percent to 40 percent of total calories. (Many processed foods now state the
- amounts of fat and cholesterol on their labels.) Keep to these guidelines and
- your child should be well on the way to healthy eating habits.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-