[Insufficient intake of vitamin D in spanish schoolchildren: determinants of the problem and basis for its improvement]. / Ingesta insuficiente de vitamina D en población infantil española: condicionantes del problema y bases para su mejora.

INTRODUCTION: Different studies have observed deficiencies in vitamin D in a high percentage of schoolchildren, highlighting the importance of this problem in sunny populations, such as Spain, where this situation is frequently underestimated. AIM: To assess the adequacy of vitamin D intake and to find out the food sources of the vitamin in a representative sample of Spanish schoolchildren. METHODS: A sample of 903 children (7 to 11 years) was studied. Ten Spanish cities were selected to be a representative sample of the Spanish schoolchildren population. Dietetic study was carried out using a three-day food record, including a Sunday. Vitamin D was compared to that recommended (RI) and energy intake was compared with energy expenditure estimated by measuring physical activity level. Weight and height were recorded and body mass index (BMI) was calculated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Vitamin D intake (2.49 ± 0.64 [iµ/day) allowed cover only 49.7% of the RI of the children. It was below of 100% of RI in 99.9% of the children, and in 78.7% it was below of 67% of RI. The vitamin intake was lower in girls, those younger than 7 years and in children with obesity than in boys, those older than 7 years and in children with normal weight. The main sources of the vitamin were eggs (28.12%), cereals (24.23%), fish (20.06%) and milk (14.42%). CONCLUSION: Vitamin D intake is inadequate in Spanish schoolchildren between 7 and 11 years. Taking into account that the consumption of foods which are the main source of vitamin D (fish, eggs, cereals, dairy products) is often lower than the recommended, approximating the diet to the theoretical ideal could help to improve the contribution of the vitamin.

[The benefits and risks of following dietary guidelines aimed at decreasing cardiovascular risk from childhood]. / Utilidad y riesgos del seguimiento de pautas dietéticas encaminadas a disminuir el riesgo cardiovascular, desde la infancia.

OBJECTIVE: In recent years much attention has been given to the possibility of establishing precocious dietary recommendations which might help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. The aim of the present review is to analyze the possible risks associated with such practices. RESULTS: Some authors suggest that restriction of total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol intake might lead to nutritional imbalances and deficiencies in minerals and vitamins, especially fat-soluble vitamins, pyridoxine, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, iron, iodine and magnesium. It might also be associated with changes in the growth and development of children, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality due to other causes. All authors and organizations agree that in children, the principle objective should be that the diet provides the correct quantities of energy and nutrients in order for them to achieve optimum growth and development. With respect to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, it would seem best that a slow transition occur from the high fat intake of early infancy to those recommended in adult life (less than 30% of energy from fats, less than 10% from saturated fat and less than 300 mg/day cholesterol). CONCLUSIONS: In general, a transition stage should be respected with a gradual decrease in the amount of fat consumed between the age of two years and the end of the growth period. When restriction diets are absolutely necessary, their criteria should be carefully considered. The nutritional status of children following such diets should be monitored so that the fight against cardiovascular disease does not condition nutritional deficiencies with repercussions similar to, or even more serious than, the condition they intend to avoid.

[Underestimation of energy intake in a group of young female university students of Madrid]. / Infravaloración de la ingesta energética en un colectivo de jóvenes universitarias de Madrid.

The validity of estimates of energy intake in a group of young women, and the influence of body mass index (BMI) and concern over bodyweight on such estimates, were determined with the aid of a food record intake. The study subjects were a group of female university students between 20 and 32 years of age. Participants maintained a steady weight over the month-long experimental period. Their energy intake was, therefore, very similar to their theoretical energy expenditure. Discrepancies between intake and expenditure data can be used as an indicator of the degree of over or underestimation of intake. 29.7% of subjects had a BMI < 20 kg/m2, 5.5% showed BMIs of > 25 kg/m2, and none exceeded the lower limit of obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2). Of those with BMI < 20 kg/m2, no significant differences were seen between intake and expenditure (-2.3%). However, those with BMI > or = 20 kg/m2 showed discrepancies of 10.4%. In those with BMI > 25 kg/m2, this figure rose to 22.2% Concern over bodyweight, and the amount of weight that subjects wished to lose, increased with BMI (r = 0.72). However, even some subjects with BMI < 20 kg/m2 showed a desire to lose some weight (2.1 +/- 1 kg). A tendency was seen for subjects with BMI > or = 20 kg/m2 to underestimate their food intake. This became more obvious with increasing BMI (r = 0.36). This could mean that obese women habitually underestimate food intake; a factor that could invalidate many dietetic studies published to date. In the present group, when BMI did not exceed 24 kg/m2, mean underestimation was 4.8%. However, subjects with BMIs > or = 24 kg/m2 underestimated their intakes by 20.4%. Concern over bodyweight (assessed as kg a subject wished to lose) did not change the observed increase in underestimation with rising BMI. Anxiety, therefore, probably parallels true weight and BMI.

[The food habits and energy and nutrient intake in overweight adolescents compared to those with normal weight]. / Hábitos alimentarios e ingesta de energía y nutrientes en adolescentes con sobrepeso en comparación con los de peso normal.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the differences between the foods, energy and nutrient intakes of normal weight and overweight/obese adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: To this end, a survey was made of the food, energy and nutrient intake of 60 adolescents. The subjects kept a 5-day dietary record, including one Sunday. Adolescents were divided into two study groups:overweight and obese subjects (S; with a body mass index-BMI > or = 23 Kg/m2, 75th percentile) and subjects of normal weight (PN; BMI < 23 Kg/m2). RESULTS: We found no differences in the energy intake between obese and normal adolescents. Imbalances in the contribution of macronutrients to the total energy intake appear greater in overweight/obese adolescents with a greater proportion of their energy from fats and a lower percentage of their energy from carbohydrates. In addition, S subjects take-in significantly larger amounts of cholesterol. The situation was worse in S women who took 50% of their calories derived from fat, 21.9% from proteins and only 27.5% of their calories were derived from carbohydrates. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the most significant finding of this survey is that the diet composition, rather than energy consumption, was the main factor responsible for obesity in both young men and women. Our results suggest that a diet higher in fat and lower in carbohydrates, independent of total energy intake, may contribute to obesity in adolescents.

[Dietary determinants in cholesterolemia in an adolescent group]. / Algunos condicionantes dietéticos en la colesterolemia de un colectivo de adolescentes.

In view of the importance of cholesterol as a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, the present study analyzes the influence of the diet on blood cholesterol levels in a group of 156 teen-ager 14 to 18. The dietetic study pointed out the existence of diet cholesterol density higher than the recommended one of 100 mg/1000 Kcal, being the eggs, meat and the milk products the most important cholesterol food sources. No statistical correlations have been found between dietetic and blood data, though the feminine population, who has the highest cholesterolemia, has also the highest and unbalanced lipid intake when compared to men. The standing of this population seems not to be preoccupying, because the hipercholesterolemia data (all in the feminine population) are very few.