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Effect of infancy-onset dietary intervention on salivary cholesterol of children: a randomized controlled trial

S Karjalainen1, E Söderling, M Saarinen

  • 1Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland. sara.karjalainen@utu.fi

Journal of Dental Research
|April 9, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Dietary intervention effectively lowered children's salivary cholesterol levels. This study shows salivary cholesterol is a sensitive indicator of dietary changes in children, reflecting saturated fat intake more readily than serum cholesterol.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Biochemistry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood cholesterol levels are influenced by diet.
  • Monitoring dietary impact on children's health is crucial.
  • Salivary biomarkers offer a non-invasive method for health assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effect of a dietary intervention on salivary cholesterol in children aged 6-16.
  • To compare the sensitivity of salivary versus serum cholesterol to dietary changes.
  • To analyze the relationship between saturated fat intake and cholesterol levels in children's saliva.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective, randomized study involving 86 children completing an 10-year follow-up.
  • Dietary intervention focused on restricting saturated fat and cholesterol intake.
  • Saliva and blood samples collected periodically for cholesterol analysis; dietary intake assessed via food records.

Main Results:

  • Salivary cholesterol increased significantly from age 6 to 16 in all children.
  • The increase in salivary cholesterol was significantly smaller in the intervention group compared to the control group.
  • Dietary intervention led to lower saturated fatty acid intake and was more sensitively reflected in salivary cholesterol than serum cholesterol.

Conclusions:

  • Dietary intervention restricting saturated fat and cholesterol intake is effective in modulating salivary cholesterol levels in children.
  • Salivary cholesterol is a more sensitive biomarker than serum cholesterol for reflecting dietary interventions in pediatric populations.
  • This study highlights the potential of salivary cholesterol monitoring for assessing dietary adherence and cardiovascular risk factors in children.

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