Is heart-healthy eating achievable in youth?

Lifestyle modification has long been regarded as a mainstay of treatment for youth with metabolic syndrome, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Currently, many children and adolescents are not meeting recommended intakes of key dietary components while also overconsuming sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats.

To determine if previous lifestyle intervention trials have been effective in improving diet quality or cardiometabolic parameters in youth.

A review of current literature was completed to determine current nutrient intake in youth, outcomes of previous lifestyle intervention trials, and recent data on confounding nutrition factors such as school-based meals and disordered eating.

Studies demonstrate nutrition counseling and lifestyle modification improve cardiometabolic health parameters, but results vary based on duration/intensity of the intervention and degree of parental involvement.

Studies demonstrate heart-healthy eating is achievable in youth, with trials showing improvements made to diet quality and nutrition-related cardiometabolic health markers. However, special considerations relevant to this age group should be considered when devising a nutrition care plan, as they may confound the progress in achieving a heart-healthy eating style.