Low-fat diet early in life improves heart health in men

Dec 6 2005

New research has apparently added to the growing belief that early dietary interventions can improve cholesterol levels in children.

To add to this, the study also demonstrates that blood-vessel function is also enhanced, at least in boys, by the change in diet.

The findings are apparently based on a study of 1062 healthy 11-year-old children who were either put on a low saturated fat diet or an unrestricted diet starting in infancy.

Almost 200 children in each diet group had the elasticity of the interior walls (or endothelium) of their veins and arteries measured by using ultrasound to look at dilation of the blood vessels under various circumstances.

Dr. Olli T. Raitakari, from the University of Turku in Finland, and colleagues say that the low-fat diet was associated with better endothelial function in boys and girls, but this was more significant from a statistical standpoint in the boys.

Raitakari says this could mean that early nutrition may play an important role in the later vascular health of males, and may also be associated with less atherosclerosis and a lower future risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Raitakari also says that it is possible that such a significant association was not seen in girls because of differences in sex hormone levels.

The findings are published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.