Blood Serum Lipid Patterns During Infancy and Childhood

Abstract

Total cholesterol, total fatty acid, saturated and monoene fatty acid, and linoleic and arachidonic acid levels were determined in 386 serum samples obtained from 324 infants and children. The data were examined with respect to the subject’s age, sex, family history for heart disease, metabolic condition and dietary intake of calories, cholesterol and fat. Mean serum cholesterol levels were significantly lower in infants less than one year of age than at any other age but remained relatively uniform from one to fifteen years of age. Mean serum levels of total fatty acids did not differ significantly from infancy to fifteen years of age. Serum levels of saturated and monoene fatty acids decreased significantly from infancy to ten years of age, whereas linoleic and arachidonic acid levels increased during this same period. There were no consistent statistical differences between boys and girls in the same age group for any serum lipid component. Total cholesterol and total fatty acids were relatively high in some subjects with a family history of heart disease but differences in mean values were not significant for any lipid component between children from families with a history of heart disease in the parents or grandparents and children with a negative family history. Seven-day dietary records for 175 children showed a significant trend for cholesterol intake (milligrams per day), total fat and oleic acid (per cent of calories) to increase from infancy to fifteen years of age. Dietary linoleate in-increased from infancy to ten years of age, whereas dietary saturated fatty acids decreased from infancy to ten years of age. No correlations were observed between the intake of cholesterol or linoleic acid and the serum levels of total cholesterol or total fatty acids in any age group. Significant correlations in all groups were observed between the level of dietary linoleate and serum linoleic acid. There were children in each age group who did not show this correlation. These were among those with congenital heart disease or cystic fibrosis of the pancreas. The serum levels of saturated and monoene fatty acids, and of linoleic and arachidonic acids in children with congenital heart disease and cystic fibrosis of the pancreas differed significantly from those in the control subjects. Mean blood serum levels for total cholesterol and total fatty acids in diabetic children were higher than those in control subjects and in patients with idiopathic hypoglycemia. However, differences between diabetic and hypoglycemic children were not significant for any lipid component.