Advising Consumption of Green Vegetables, Beef, and Full-Fat Dairy Products Has No Adverse Effects on the Lipid Profiles in Children

Effect of a dietary intervention including minimal and unprocessed foods, high in natural saturated fats, on the lipid profile of children, pooled evidence from randomized controlled trials and a cohort study

Aim

To study the possible effects of a dietary intervention with minimal and unprocessed foods, high in natural saturated fats on the lipid profile and body mass index of children.

Method

This study combines three intervention studies; one non-randomized retrospective cohort study and two randomized controlled trials, to a pooled analysis. The intervention group received a dietary intervention of minimal and unprocessed foods for three to six months, consisting of five times per week green vegetables, three times per week beef, daily 200–300 mL whole cow’s milk (3.4% fat) and whole dairy butter (80% fat) on each slice of bread. The control group continued their usual dietary habits. Raw data of the three intervention studies where combined into one single dataset for data analysis, using mixed effects analysis of covariance to test the effects of the dietary advice on the main study outcomes, which are measurements of the lipid profile.

Results

In total, 267 children aged 1 to 16 years were followed. 135 children were included in the intervention group and 139 children in the control group. Characteristics (age, gender and follow-up period) were equally distributed between the groups at baseline. In the intervention group HDL-cholesterol increased significantly from 1.22 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.14–1.32 to 1.42 mmol/L 95% CI 1.30–1.65 (p = 0.007). The increase over time in HDL cholesterol in the intervention group was significantly different compared to the increase in the control group (from 1.26 mmol/L, 95% CI 1.19–1.35, to 1.30 mmol/L, 95% CI 1.26–1.37) (p = 0.04). Due to the increased HDL concentration in the intervention group, the total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio decreased significantly from 3.70 mmol/L, 95% CI 3.38–3.87, to 3.25 mmol/L, 95% CI 2.96–3.31 (p = 0.05).

Conclusion

Consumption of minimal and unprocessed foods (high in natural saturated fats) has favourable effects on HDL cholesterol in children. Therefore, this dietary advice can safely be recommended to children.

Whole-fat dairy products do not adversely affect adiposity or cardiometabolic risk factors in children in the Milky Way Study: a double-blind randomized controlled pilot study

BACKGROUND

Limited evidence supports the common public health guideline that children >2 y of age should consume dairy with reduced fat content.

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the effects of whole-fat compared with reduced-fat dairy intake on measures of adiposity and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in healthy 4- to 6-y-old children.

METHODS

The Milky Way Study enrolled 49 children (mean ± SD age: 5.2 ± 0.9 y; 47% girls) who were habitual consumers of whole-fat dairy, then randomly assigned them in a double-blind fashion to remain on whole-fat dairy or switch their dairy consumption to reduced-fat products for 3 mo. Primary endpoints included measures of adiposity, body composition, blood pressure, fasting serum lipids, blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and C-reactive protein (CRP) and were assessed at baseline and study end. Pre- and postintervention results were compared using linear mixed models, adjusted for growth, age, and sex.

RESULTS

Dairy fat intake was reduced by an adjusted (mean ± SEM) 12.9 ± 4.1 g/d in the reduced-fat compared with the whole-fat dairy group (95% CI: -21.2, -4.6 g/d; P = 0.003), whereas dietary energy intakes remained similar (P = 0.936). We found no significant differential changes between dairy groups in any measure of adiposity, body composition, blood pressure, or fasting serum lipids, glucose, HbA1c, and CRP.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that although changing from whole-fat to reduced-fat dairy products does reduce dairy fat intake, it does not result in changes to markers of adiposity or cardiometabolic disease risk in healthy children.This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12616001642471.

Nutrigenomics of Dietary Lipids

Dietary lipids have a major role in nutrition, not only for their fuel value, but also as essential and bioactive nutrients. This narrative review aims to describe the current evidence on nutrigenomic effects of dietary lipids. Firstly, the different chemical and biological properties of fatty acids contained both in plant- and animal-based food are illustrated. A description of lipid bioavailability, bioaccessibility, and lipotoxicity is provided, together with an overview of the modulatory role of lipids as pro- or anti-inflammatory agents. Current findings concerning the metabolic impact of lipids on gene expression, epigenome, and gut microbiome in animal and human studies are summarized. Finally, the effect of the individual’s genetic make-up on lipid metabolism is described. The main goal is to provide an overview about the interaction between dietary lipids and the genome, by identifying and discussing recent scientific evidence, recognizing strengths and weaknesses, to address future investigations and fill the gaps in the current knowledge on metabolic impact of dietary fats on health.

Influence of Dietary Advice Including Green Vegetables, Beef, and Whole Dairy Products on Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Since no treatment exists for children suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) without immunological disorders, we searched for a possible tool to improve the health of these children. Aim: We evaluated whether dietary advice (based on food matrix and food synergy), including standard supportive care, can decrease the number and duration of URTIs in children with recurrent URTIs. Design and Setting: This study was a multicenter randomized controlled trial in two pediatric outpatient clinics in the Netherlands, with 118 children aged one to four years with recurrent URTIs. The dietary advice group received dietary advice plus standard supportive care, while the control group received standard supportive care alone for six months. The dietary advice consisted of green vegetables five times per week, beef three times per week, 300 mL whole milk per day, and whole dairy butter on bread every day. Portion sizes were age-appropriate. Results and Conclusion: Children in the dietary advice group had 4.8 (1.6–9.5) days per month with symptoms of an URTI in the last three months of the study, compared to 7.7 (4.0–12.3) in the control group (p = 0.028). The total number of URTIs during the six-month study period was 5.7 (±0.55) versus 6.8 (±0.49), respectively (p = 0.068). The use of antibiotics was significantly reduced in the dietary advice group, as well as visits to a general practitioner, thereby possibly reducing healthcare costs. The results show a reduced number of days with symptoms of a URTI following dietary advice. The number of infections was not significantly reduced.