Hardy S C, Kleinman R E
Combined Program in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02113.
J Pediatr. 1994 Nov;125(5 Pt 2):S69-77. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(06)80739-0.
Fat is necessary in the diets of infants and young children because of their extraordinary energy needs and limited dietary capacity. In addition, essential fatty acids provide the substrates for arachidonic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and their metabolites. Deficiencies in the amounts of these long-chain fatty acids in the diet during infancy may affect the maturation of the central nervous system, including visual development and intelligence. Efforts to link the diet in infancy and early childhood to the development of chronic diseases in adulthood are hampered by a lack of supportive epidemiologic and clinical data. Serum cholesterol and lipid levels during childhood correlate only weakly with their levels at maturity. Studies in twins suggest that there is a large genetic component to serum lipid levels. Similarly, the correlation between obesity in early childhood and in adulthood is weak. Young children who receive fat-restricted diets in which fat accounts for 30% or less of their intake appear to grow normally but are more likely not to consume the recommended dietary allowances of many nutrients. Therefore fat should not be restricted in the diets of infants and young children. Restricting fat to approximately 30% of the calories consumed is reasonable after the age of 2 years, but the benefits of this recommendation remain to be proved.
由于婴幼儿的能量需求特殊且饮食能力有限，脂肪在其饮食中是必需的。此外，必需脂肪酸为花生四烯酸、二十二碳六烯酸及其代谢产物提供底物。婴儿期饮食中这些长链脂肪酸含量不足可能会影响中枢神经系统的发育，包括视觉发育和智力。由于缺乏支持性的流行病学和临床数据，将婴幼儿期饮食与成年期慢性病发展联系起来的努力受到阻碍。儿童期的血清胆固醇和血脂水平与其成年时的水平仅存在微弱关联。对双胞胎的研究表明，血清脂质水平有很大的遗传因素。同样，幼儿期肥胖与成年期肥胖之间的关联也很弱。接受脂肪限制饮食（脂肪摄入量占总摄入量30%或更低）的幼儿似乎生长正常，但更有可能无法摄入许多营养素的推荐膳食摄入量。因此，婴幼儿饮食中不应限制脂肪。2岁以后将脂肪摄入量限制在约占摄入热量的30%是合理的，但这一建议的益处仍有待证明。
