Home Search
Home
For Health Professionals Experts - What Health Experts Say About Kids and Heart Disease
|
 |
Dietary Recommendations for Kids
Here is what the country’s leading experts on heart disease are saying about kids and heart disease. Simply put, they all believe:
Signs of heart disease can start developing very early in life, but these signs are usually not visible.
Good nutrition and regular exercise can help keep a child from developing heart disease later in his or her life.
Leading a healthy lifestyle in childhood is key to helping prevent heart disease as an adult.
The American Dietetic Association’s (ADA) dietary guidance for healthy children aged 2 to 11 notes that “children (ages 2 to 11 years) should achieve optimal physical and cognitive development, attain a healthy weight, enjoy food, and reduce the risk of chronic disease through appropriate eating habits and participation in regular physical activity.” In addition, ADA notes, “critical nutrition concerns about US children include excessive intakes of dietary fat, especially saturated fats… High intakes of saturated fat have been associated with increased plasma total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in childhood and can ultimately increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.” ADA supports the key recommendations of the Institute of Medicine’s Food and Nutrition Board that for children 2 years and older, “consumption of saturated fat, trans fatty acids and cholesterol should be as low as possible while maintaining a nutritionally adequate diet.” More on ADA’s dietary guidance for healthy children aged 2 to 11.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) notes "everyone older than age 2 should care about cholesterol to reduce the risk of developing heart disease as an adult. Children as well as adults can improve the health of their hearts by following a low-saturated-fat and low-cholesterol diet, avoiding obesity, and being physically active." Click here for more information on the NHLBI’s dietary recommendations for children.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that children TWO years and older be encouraged to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily as well as a wide variety of other foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol for a healthy heart. Specifically, the AHA recommends that anyone over the age of two obtain no more than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat and trans fat combined, no more than 30 percent of calories from total fat and less than 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day. More on AHA’s position statement on children and cholesterol.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Nutrition recognizes that diet changes implemented in childhood which lower total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol will improve blood cholesterol levels and if followed into adulthood will reduce fatty buildup in the arteries, cutting the risk of heart disease. They recommend that children aged 2 to 18 eat less than 10% of their calories from saturated fat, no more than 30% of their total calories from total fat and no more than 300 milligrams of cholesterol each day. More on AAP’s policy on Cholesterol in Children.
The 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report is based on the latest scientific evidence on diet and nutrition. The report states “childhood represents a sensitive time for developing healthful eating patterns. Studies have documented that patterns of food and nutrient intake track from childhood into later years, including adulthood.” The committee notes in their report that they took a close look at dietary fats because of their link to heart health. Based on the overwhelming science, the committee made the recommendation that for children aged 2 to 3 years old, a total fat of 30 to 35 percent of calories is recommended while for children aged 4 to 18, a total fat intake of 20 to 35 percent of calories is recommended. More on the 2005 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report.
