Fat intake in Hong Kong Chinese children

The people of Hong Kong are experiencing a transition in dietary practices and lifestyle that can be observed in the fat intakes of Hong Kong children as compared with those of their counterparts on mainland China. The studie s described here include 1) a longitudinal and observational dietary survey beginning with a cohort of 174 newborns and concluding with 124 children a t age 7 y; 2) a biochemical study of serum lipids in relation to dietary fa t intake at age 7 y; 3) a chemical fatty acid analysis and comparison of du plicate meals collected from 20 Hong Kong and 20 mainland Chinese children at age 7 y; 4) a dietary assessment of 52 lactoovovegetarian children aged 4-14 y; and 5) a comparison of the growth of all subjects with US National Center for Health Statistics standards. About 30% of the total daily energy intake of Hong Kong Chinese children aged 1-7 y was contributed by fat-muc h more than that in the traditional Chinese diet. Growth of the children wa s not impaired, including that of children on the mainland and of those lac toovovegetarians in Hong Kong whose fat intakes were lower. Mean serum chol esterol of Hong Kong Chinese children at age 7 y was 4.59 mmol/L, significa ntly higher than that of their counterparts on the mainland, 4.16 mmol/L. F oods consumed in Hong Kong had a significantly lower ratio of 18:2 to 14:0. Nutritional deficiency was uncommon. Chinese children in Hong Kong had a d ietary fat intake that was both quantitatively and qualitatively different from the traditional Chinese diet.