
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 9, 1991                   TAG: 9104090202
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

GOVERNMENT WANTS KIDS ON A LOW-FAT DIET

The government on Monday for the first time laid out specific recommendations on how children should join adults in following a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, saying it could reduce their risk of heart disease later in life.

"This is the major cause of death in adults in this country, and we should not miss the opportunity to prevent the disease from beginning in children," said Dr. Ronald Lauer, chairman of the expert panel that drafted the recommendations.

The guidelines for youngsters are the same as those already recommended for the general population, but now federal officials are placing new priority on children. The guidelines call for limiting saturated fatty acids to 10 percent of calories, limiting fat intake to no more than 30 percent of calories and holding cholesterol to 300 milligrams a day.

The panel also recommended that children from families with a history of premature heart disease or high cholesterol have their blood cholesterol levels tested.

That would result in testing about 25 percent of children and adolescents, or about 14 million youngsters. About half of those tested would need follow-up attention, mainly through special diets, the panel said.

It acknowledged that getting youngsters to eat right can be tough but said that if parents, schools, restaurants and others provide healthy options for children it will be easier for kids to latch on to good foods.

And no one even suggested that ice cream and hot dogs be put totally off limits.

"The message of this report . . . is a message of moderation. It is not a message of `Never eat certain foods,' " said Dr. James Cleeman, coordinator of the National Cholesterol Education Program. "It's a matter of making the entire eating pattern a sound one.

"Adults and children can eat alike and there need be no special meals," he added.

The recommendations were issued by the National Cholesterol Education Program, which is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. They were drafted by an expert panel that included representatives from a variety of health organizations.

On average, an Agriculture Department survey reports, children get about 14 percent of their calories from saturated fatty acids and about 35 percent from fats. Daily cholesterol intake averages 193-296 milligrams a day.

Infants age 2 and under are not covered by the recommendations, because babies require more fat in their diets than older children. Toddlers aged 2 and 3 are in a transition period and should gradually assume the same eating habits as the rest of the family, the panel said.

by CNB