Metabolic markers in relation to nutrition and growth in healthy 4-y-old children in Sweden.

BACKGROUND

The worldwide increase in overweight and obesity probably involves dietary factors, and early indicators of risk must be identified.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to analyze metabolic markers in relation to dietary intake and anthropometry in healthy 4-y-old children.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study of nutritional intake was performed in 95 children by use of 7-d food records. Fasting blood samples were analyzed for glucose, insulin, and lipids.

RESULTS

The study population was representative of Swedish children except that more parents than the average had a university education. The boys' mean energy intake was higher (6.6 +/- 0.75 MJ) than the girls' (5.7 +/- 0.79 MJ). Significant associations were found between the percentage of energy from carbohydrates and that from fat (r = -0.91) and sucrose (r = 0.59). High body mass index was associated with a low percentage of energy from fat (r = -0.32). Serum triacylglycerol, insulin, and the HOMA (homeostatic model assessment) index were higher in girls than in boys. In girls, HOMA beta-cell function was significantly negatively associated with fat intake and serum fasting insulin, and HOMA insulin resistance indexes were significantly associated with the increment in z scores for height and weight from birth to age 4 y. Compared with children with fasting insulin concentrations below the group mean + SD, the children with concentrations above that value were smaller as newborns and had larger increments in growth z scores from birth to age 4 y.

CONCLUSION

In healthy Swedish 4-y-olds from well-educated families, low fat intake was related to high body mass index. Upward weight and height percentile crossings were related to insulin resistance, especially in girls.