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Well-intentioned parents who limit their
child's dietary fat in the name of good health may
be depriving their growing son or daughter of essential nutrients.
The study of children with and without
high cholesterol found that unsupervised, parent-imposed low-fat
diets were also lower in zinc and vitamin E compared with
diets that did not restrict fat. Zinc
is a mineral that is essential for growth and development
and helps the immune system fight infectious diseases.
Vitamin E, an important antioxidant vitamin, may also protect
against certain diseases.
There are clinical reports of children
who have grown poorly while following unsupervised low-fat,
low-calorie diets. Many foods that contain zinc and vitamin
E are also rich in fat and saturated fat, including oils,
milk, meat and eggs.
Children with high cholesterol consumed
significantly more sugar as a result of higher intakes of
carbohydrate-rich foods, which tend to be lower in fat.
The researchers concluded that parents
should not impose dietary restrictions on children,
including those with high cholesterol.
Archives
of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine November 2001;155:1225-1230
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