Abstract
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) leads to elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of premature atherosclerosis. Dietary treatment is recommended to all patients with FH in combination with lipid-lowering drug therapy. Little is known about how children with FH and their parents respond to dietary advice. The aim of the present study was to characterise the dietary habits in children with FH. A total of 112 children and young adults with FH and a non-FH group of children (n 36) were included. The children with FH had previously received dietary counselling. The FH subjects were grouped as: 12-14 years (FH (12-14)) and 18-28 years (FH (18-28)). Dietary data were collected by SmartDiet, a short self-instructing questionnaire on diet and lifestyle where the total score forms the basis for an overall assessment of the diet. Clinical and biochemical data were retrieved from medical records. The SmartDiet scores were significantly improved in the FH (12-14) subjects compared with the non-FH subjects (SmartDiet score of 31 v. 28, respectively). More FH (12-14) subjects compared with non-FH children consumed low-fat milk (64 v. 18 %, respectively), low-fat cheese (29 v. 3%, respectively), used margarine with highly unsaturated fat (74 v. 14 %, respectively). In all, 68 % of the FH (12-14) subjects and 55 % of the non-FH children had fish for dinner twice or more per week. The FH (18-28) subjects showed the same pattern in dietary choices as the FH (12-14) children. In contrast to the choices of low-fat dietary items, 50 % of the FH (12-14) subjects consumed sweet spreads or sweet drinks twice or more per week compared with only 21 % in the non-FH group. In conclusion, ordinary out-patient dietary counselling of children with FH seems to have a long-lasting effect, as the diet of children and young adults with FH consisted of more products that are favourable with regard to the fatty acid composition of the diet.
Highlights
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) leads to elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of premature atherosclerosis
The present study found that children with FH had healthier food choices, with respect to the most important dietary fat sources for saturated fat
Observations of dietary consistency from adolescence into adulthood have been found in other studies, supporting the beneficial role of implementing healthy dietary habits at an early age, and targeting nutrition education especially at children and adolescents(11)
Summary
Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) leads to elevated plasma levels of LDL-cholesterol and increased risk of premature atherosclerosis. More FH (12–14) subjects compared with non-FH children consumed low-fat milk In contrast to the choices of low-fat dietary items, 50 % of the FH (12–14) subjects consumed sweet spreads or sweet drinks twice or more per week compared with only 21 % in the non-FH group. Ordinary out-patient dietary counselling of children with FH seems to have a long-lasting effect, as the diet of children and young adults with FH consisted of more products that are favourable with regard to the fatty acid composition of the diet. The aim of the present study was to describe the dietary choices in children with FH and to study if the dietary counselling provided in an ordinary out-patient clinical activity had any long-term effect on the dietary habits of the children
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