Trends in fatty acid intakes of 10-year-old children, 1973 to 1982

Diets of four groups of 10-year-old children (no. = 871, 30% black, 70% white) were examined over 10 years with 24-hour dietary recalls to study temporal trends in cholesterol, fat, and fatty acid intakes in a community. Boys had higher intakes per day and per kilogram body weight than girls for all nutrients (p less than .0001), but there were no sex differences in nutrients per 1,000 kcal. The only racial difference detected was a higher myristic acid intake in whites (p less than .02). There was a 16% decline in dietary cholesterol intake between 1978 and 1982. Three shifts in fatty acid intake increased the P:S ratio from 0.29 in 1973 to 0.45 in 1978: (a) a 5% decline in oleic acid, coupled with a 5% rise in linoleic acid; (b) a quadrupling of linolenic acid; and (c) less stearic and more myristic acid, with palmitic acid unchanged. Total fat intake provided 38% of the calories in each survey, but the changes in proportions of fatty acids paralleled trends in food consumption patterns and nutrient sources. Despite the changes, few children met prudent diet recommendations, and serum total cholesterol and very-low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels did not change over time.