Related Experiment Videos
Relationships between dietary fat, body fat, and serum lipid profile in prepubertal children
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Health-Related Professions, and Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 35294, USA.
Insights
Dietary fat intake was not linked to serum lipids in children. Instead, body fat accumulation, particularly abdominal fat, showed a significant association with higher triacylglycerol levels, suggesting a greater role in cardiovascular disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors
- Human Metabolism
Background:
- Serum lipid profiles in children are influenced by various factors.
- Understanding the interplay between diet, body composition, and lipid levels is crucial for early cardiovascular disease prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dietary fat components and serum lipid profiles in prepubertal children.
- To determine if these associations are independent of ethnicity, body fat, and fat distribution.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 66 children (45 African American, 21 Caucasian, aged 4-10 years).
- Assessed dietary intake via 24-hour recalls; analyzed serum lipids (triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C).
- Measured body composition and fat distribution using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography.
Main Results:
- African American children consumed more total and saturated fat than Caucasian children.
- No significant correlation was found between dietary fat intake and serum lipids or body fat indices.
- Total body fat, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue, and intra-abdominal adipose tissue were positively associated with serum triacylglycerol.
Conclusions:
- The study does not support a direct link between dietary fat intake and serum lipid levels in prepubertal children.
- Body fat indices, especially abdominal fat, appear to play a more significant role in serum triacylglycerol levels.
- These findings suggest that body fat accumulation may be a more critical factor in early cardiovascular disease development than dietary fat composition.
Objective:
The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that dietary fat components were associated with the serum lipid profile independent of ethnicity, body fat, and fat distribution in prepubertal children.
Research Methods And Procedures:
Sixty-six children (45 African American and 21 Caucasian), aged from 4 to 10 years, were recruited into the study. Dietary total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat were estimated by averaging two 24-hour diet recalls. Fasting serum triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were analyzed, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was calculated by the method of Friedewald. Body composition and fat distribution were measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and computed tomography.
Results:
Children in both ethnic groups tended to overreport their dietary intake relative to total energy expenditure by 18%. African American children consumed more energy from total fat (35.3% vs. 31.5%, p<0.05), saturated fat (13.7% vs 12.2%, p<0.05), protein (16.4% vs. 13.2%, p=0.02), and less from carbohydrate (48% vs. 57.1%, p<0.01) than Caucasian children. There was no significant correlation between dietary fat and either serum lipids or body fat indices after adjusting for nonfat energy intake and total lean tissue mass. Total body fat (r=0.32), subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue (r=0.39), and intra-abdominal adipose tissue (r=0.42) were positively related to serum triacylglycerol; these associations remained significant in a multiple linear regression model in which body fat indices were adjusted for ethnicity, total lean tissue, dietary total fat, and nonfat intake.
Discussion:
Our results do not support a link between dietary fat and serum lipids; instead, our data suggest that body fat may play a more important role than dietary fat in the course of cardiovascular disease development in prepubertal children.