And that would be a research team from Penn State University, warning that parents should not deprive their children of fat, despite all the hysteria about obesity.
"The authors said, 'Sufficient fat must be included in the diet for children to support normal growth and development.'
The authors said dietary fat recommendations are higher for children aged four to 18 (25 to 35% of energy) compared with adults (20 to 35% of energy)."
Gee, I could have told you that.
Interestingly, the only news articles I could find on this were published across the pond, in the UK. Hmm. Could there be a reason why this isn't being plastered across CNN?
Read all about it yourself at http://www.inthenews.co.uk/thebigissue/news/health/psu-researcher-sufficient-fat-needed-$1123529$1123528.htm. (Sorry, this remote blogging thing doesn't let me post links. Bummer. Anyone out there know how to fix it?)
8 comments:
Harriet,
I think it's quite ironic that people are "researching" things that we already knew. Kids need more fat and energy. Maybe we're the elite few who are aware of this. Yet it's good research in that it serves as a good reminder to well-meaning parents trying to protect their children from "obesity."
I know for me, as a recovering AN, my dietary fat needs are likely higher, in part to obtain enough calories in a reasonable fashion (2500 cal in celery sticks...start NOW! ::alarm rings::)
Carrie
http://www.nutritionj.com/content/6/1/19
You can read the whole study here
Carrie,
When my d was in the ICU with bradycardia and dehydration from AN, at her sickest, I could not believe the meals the hospital dietitian sent up. One evening the plate held the biggest MOUNTAIN of broccoli I've ever seen in my life. Even the attending took a look and agreed that something was wrong with that picture. I mean really.
Fat gal,
Thank you!
Fat is necessary for kids not just for energy, but also for nerve and muscle development (myelination). Kids that don't get enough fat can suffer cognitive and motor delays.
I'm just appalled when I hear about little kids being put on low fat diets.
The anti-fat thing is so... so immature. It is like hearing "water is good for you" and taking it as advice to drown yourself. Or "don't drink too fast" leading to "water is bad."
We have a societal inability to modulate the advice we hear. Feast vs. famine, black vs. white, virtue vs. evil.
We're such nitwits sometimes.
Does your remote blogging software allow html? The code for a link is [a href="http://www.yourlinkhere.com"]Your Link Here[/a], with < > instead of [].
If it doesn't, feel free to ignore me.
Also, cholesterol is what glues the brain together. Obviously having too much of it is (probably) a bad thing, but you need enough so that you don't, hah, come unglued.
Thank you, avenging angle, but alas, there is no little link button when I blog remotely. Sob sob. Sorry, everyone.
We've known this for YEARS. Years and years ago they were telling parents: don't put kids under the age of 2 on lowfat milk, they need the fat for proper brain development. (But still, I make a BIG point of that when I do my nutrition lectures in my general bio classes - many of my students are parents or on their way to being parents)
It's really sad that we've become so fearful of overweight - and so fearful of calories in food - in this nation that we have to remind parents that their kids are actively growing and need more fat in their diets, lest they not grow properly.
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