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(Circulation. 1997;95:2332-2333.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Nutrition and Children

A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee, American Heart Association

Edward A. Fisher, MD, PhD, MPH; Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD; Henry C. McGill, Jr, MD; For the Nutrition Committee

Key Words: AHA Medical/Scientific Statement • diet • coronary disease • pediatrics

	Introduction

 
The American Heart Association, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), and the Food and Drug Administration advocate "heart-healthy" diets for adults. The major goal of such diets is to restrict the total intake of fats, especially saturated fat and cholesterol, which have the potential to raise plasma levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease. The AHA Step I diet recommends (1) that calories consumed as fat not exceed 30% of total calories consumed per day, (2) that calories consumed as saturated fat equal no more than 8% to 10% of total calories consumed per day, and (3) that total cholesterol intake be less than 300 mg/d. Although it is well established that the Step I diet is safe and beneficial for adults, some controversy surrounds the benefits and safety of this type of diet for children. For example, because the clinical manifestations of atherosclerosis usually do not develop until well into adulthood, it has been argued that institution of the AHA Step I diet in childhood is of little benefit and may even be hazardous by inducing nutritional deficiencies compromising growth and development. The Nutrition Committee has reviewed the evidence concerning the safety and efficacy of the AHA Step I diet in children. The Step I diet can be safely recommended for the majority of children and will ultimately result in a lower frequency of coronary artery disease in the general population.

	Rationale

 
Studies of the early stages of atherosclerosis in children . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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