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Dietary factors relate to cardiovascular risk factors in early life. Bogalusa Heart Study
T A Nicklas1, R P Farris, C G Smoak
1Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans 70112.
Insights
Early high cholesterol and animal fat intake in infants are linked to higher cholesterol levels and weight gain. These dietary patterns track over time, suggesting a foundation for future cardiovascular disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Cardiovascular Health
- Public Health
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease risk factors can emerge in early childhood.
- Dietary habits established in infancy may influence long-term health outcomes.
- Understanding early dietary influences is crucial for preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between dietary intake and cardiovascular disease risk factors in infants.
- To examine how dietary cholesterol and animal fat intake correlate with serum lipid levels and body weight.
- To assess the tracking of dietary patterns and their association with cardiovascular risk factors from infancy through early childhood.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of infants in Bogalusa, Louisiana, underwent dietary recalls and cardiovascular measurements.
- Data were collected at 6 months, yearly through age 4, and at age 7.
- Statistical analyses correlated dietary components with serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and body weight.
Main Results:
- Infants with persistently high dietary cholesterol intake showed significantly higher serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
- High animal fat intake was associated with increased body weight (2-6 kg heavier).
- Changes in dietary cholesterol correlated with changes in serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol; dietary components correlated with skinfold measurements.
Conclusions:
- Dietary habits and their impact on cardiovascular disease risk factors are detectable in early childhood.
- These findings highlight the importance of early nutrition in preventing childhood obesity and hyperlipoproteinemia.
- Longitudinal tracking of diet and risk factors provides a basis for early intervention strategies.
Abstract:
Relationships between diet and cardiovascular disease risk factors were studied in a cohort of infants in Bogalusa, Louisiana. The 24-hour dietary recalls and cardiovascular measurements were obtained on each child at age 6 months, yearly through age 4, and again at age 7 (cardiovascular measurements only). At ages 4 and 7, children with persistently high intakes of dietary cholesterol (three or more measurements in the upper tertile) had levels of serum total cholesterol approximately 14 mg/dl higher than children whose intakes of cholesterol were not persistently high. Children in the upper tertile for dietary cholesterol had levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (15 mg/dl at age 4 and 18 mg/dl at age 7) higher than children in the lower tertile for dietary cholesterol. Children with high intakes of animal fat were 2 to 6 kg heavier (p less than 0.05) than those with lower intakes. Changes in dietary cholesterol correlated significantly with changes in serum total cholesterol (r = 0.42) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.50) from 6 months to 4 years of age. Changes in subscapular skinfold measurements correlated significantly with changes in intake of total protein (r = 0.31), total fat (r = 0.25), starch (r = 0.31), and energy (r = 0.39) from ages 6 months to 4 years. Results indicate that tracking of dietary components and their relationships with cardiovascular disease risk factors can be detected at an early age. These findings may well be the groundwork for later studies of obesity and the early onset of hyperlipoproteinemia.