REGULATION OF GROWTH OF 7 TO 36-MONTH-OLD CHILDREN BY ENERGY AND FAT INTAKE IN THE PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED STRIP BABY TRIAL

Objective. To study the fat and energy intakes of children between 7 a nd 36 months of age with different growth patterns. Methods. In the Sp ecial Turku coronary Risk factor Intervention Project for Babies, chil dren were randomized to intervention (n = 540) and control groups (n = 522) at age 7 months. The intervention was aimed at replacing part of the saturated fat intake with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat to reduce children's exposure to high serum cholesterol values. The c ontrol children consumed a free diet. Children followed for >2 years ( n = 848) were included in the analysis. Five groups of children repres enting different extreme growth patterns during the first 3 years of l ife were formed, and their energy and fat intakes were analyzed. Relat ive weight was defined as deviation of weight in percentages from the mean weight of healthy children of same height and sex, and relative h eight as deviation of height in SD units from the mean height of healt hy children of same age and sex. Results. Relative fat intakes (as per cent of energy intake) were similar in children showing highly differe nt height gain patterns. The thin (mean relative weight less than or e qual to 5%) children consumed more fat (mean, 30% energy [E%] [SD 7] a t 13 months and 33 [4] E% at 24 months) than children with normal grow th (27 [5] E% at 13 months and 31 [5] E% at 24 months). The energy int ake of the tall (mean relative height greater than or equal to 95%) an d the obese (mean relative weight greater than or equal to 95%) were h ighest, but weight-based energy intake of the tall (at 2 years, 82 [13 ] kcal/kg) and the obese (79 [17] kcal/kg) were lower than that of chi ldren with normal growth (89 [16] kcal/kg). The thin children consumed relatively more energy than the children with normal growth (at 2 yea rs, 94 [13] kcal/kg and 89 [16] kcal/kg, respectively). Parental heigh t and body mass index and the child's absolute and relative energy int akes predicted the best children's growth patterns. Children with cons istently low fat intake grew equally to the children with higher fat i ntake. Conclusions. Moderate supervised restriction of fat intake to v alues 25 to 30 E% is compatible with normal growth.