Eating patterns and lipid levels in older adolescent girls
Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, 03/30/2012
Bradlee ML et al. – Healthy childhood eating patterns characterized by higher intakes of a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, lean meat, poultry and fish are important modifiable predictors of lipid levels in late adolescence.
Methods- This study uses previously collected data from the longitudinal NHLBI Growth and Health Study in which 2379 girls were enrolled at ages 9–10 years and followed for ten years.
- Food–based eating patterns were derived from multiple 3–day diet records.
- After adjusting for age, race, socioeconomic status, height, physical activity, and television viewing, girls with higher intakes of dairy, fruit and non–starchy vegetables had about a 40–50% reduced risk an LDL–C ≥ 170 mg/dL and non–HDL–C ≥ 145 mg/dL.
- Diets characterized by higher intakes of dairy and whole grains had similar benefits on TC and LDL–C.
- Girls consuming more fruits and non–starchy vegetables as well as more whole grains were much less likely to have high–risk lipid levels.
- Lean meat, poultry and fish when consumed in the context of other healthy eating patterns had no adverse effects on lipid levels in late adolescence.
- In fact when consumed with higher amounts of fruit and non–starchy vegetables, lean meat, poultry and fish had beneficial effects on HDL.
- Finally, dietary patterns that included more whole grains tended to be associated with lower TG levels.
