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

DATE: TUESDAY, April 9, 1991                   TAG: 9104090623
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

KIDS, TOO, NEED TO WATCH CHOLESTEROL

The government is recommending that children adopt a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol to avoid heart disease when they get older.

Experts acknowledge it's tough getting kids to eat right, but they say healthy food doesn't have to be boring. And no one's even suggesting a ban on childhood favorites such as ice cream and hot dogs.

"You don't have to be perfect every week or even every month," said Dr. Laurence Finberg of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "If you work it out over a period of years, it will have some effect."

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute issued recommendations Monday on children's fat and cholesterol intake. The guidelines for youngsters were the same as those already recommended for the general population, but 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 new guidelines also recommend 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.

Parents can steer children toward good foods "without being overbearing or trying to hold their noses and force it down their throats," said Dr. Scott Grundy of the Center for Human Nutrition in Dallas.

Health experts also hope fast-food restaurants, school lunch programs and food manufacturers will start offering kids healthier choices. Most children, for example, would jump at a healthy school lunch that featured tacos made with beef that was well drained, they say.

"Where these are what all their friends are eating, children generally will accept these kinds of menu," Dr. Ronald Lauer, chairman of pediatrics at the University of Iowa Hospitals, said. "There are very attractive things that can be provided in a heart-healthy form."

Currently, children on average get about 14 percent of their calories from saturated fatty acids and 35 percent from fats, with daily cholesterol intake averaging 193 to 296 milligrams.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance in the blood that, depending upon the fatty proteins attached to it, can contribute to heart and blood vessel disease.

The guidelines were developed by the National Cholesterol Education Program, sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. They were drafted by an expert panel, chaired by Lauer, that included representatives from a variety of major health organizations.