High intake of saturated fat and early occurrence of specific biomarkers may explain the prevalence of chronic disease in northern Mexico.

To investigate whether the high prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and type II diabetes prevalent in Northern Mexico could be related to the presence at a young age of biomarkers for chronic disease, 25 boys and 29 girls (8-12 y old) from a low socioeconomic group were recruited. Plasma lipids, LDL phenotype, apolipoproteins (apos), glucose, and insulin were evaluated. Analysis of 3-d dietary records indicated the typical intake of this region to be high in total fat (37-43% energy) and saturated fat (11-13% energy). Boys and girls had an average of 6623 +/- 2892 and 6112 +/- 2793 steps/d, respectively, as measured by a pedometer, suggesting a low level of activity. Plasma total and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) were within the 50th percentile. In contrast, the study population was characterized by having high triglycerides (TG) (95th percentile, 1.25 +/- 0.37 mmol/L in boys and 1.19 +/- 0.38 mmol/L in girls). HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were low (25th percentile), 1.22 +/- 0.20 mmol/L in girls and 1.29 +/- 0.20 mmol/L in boys. There was also a high prevalence of the small dense LDL phenotype B (69%), which is associated with increased risk for CHD. These results suggest that the population of children studied may have 2 different components of risk, one being the high-fat diet, which could be associated with the elevated levels of plasma LDL-C present in the adult population. A second component, related to the insulin resistance syndrome, may be principally genetic and associated with the high TG, low HDL, and LDL phenotype B observed in these Mexican children.

Dietary cholesterol does not increase biomarkers for chronic disease in a pediatric population from northern Mexico.

BACKGROUND: An increased incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) is prevalent in northern Mexico. Effects of specific dietary components on risk factors for CAD have not been evaluated in children. OBJECTIVE: The purpose was to evaluate the effects of dietary cholesterol provided by whole eggs on the lipoprotein profile, LDL size, and phenotype in children from this region. DESIGN: Children (29 girls and 25 boys aged 8-12 y) were randomly assigned to either 2 eggs/d (EGG period; 518 additional mg cholesterol) or the equivalent amount of egg whites (SUB period; 0 additional mg cholesterol) for 30 d. After a 3-wk washout period, the children were assigned to the alternate treatment. RESULTS: Subjects were classified as hyporesponders (no increase or /=0.06 mmol/L increase). During the EGG period, the hyperresponders (n = 18) had an elevation in both LDL cholesterol (from 1.54 +/- 0.38 to 1.93 +/- 0.36 mmol/L) and HDL cholesterol (from 1.23 +/- 0.26 to 1.35 +/- 0.29 mmol/L) with no changes in LDL:HDL. In contrast, hyporesponders (n = 36) had no significant alterations in plasma LDL or HDL cholesterol. All subjects had an increase in LDL peak diameter during the EGG period (P < 0.01) and a decrease (P < 0.01) in the smaller LDL subfractions. In addition, 5 of the children having LDL phenotype B (15%) shifted from this high-risk pattern to pattern A after the EGG treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of 2 eggs/d results in the maintenance of LDL:HDL and in the generation of a less atherogenic LDL in this population of Mexican children.

Valores normales de hemoglobina y hematócrito en niñas sanos de 9 a 12 años de edad de la ciudad de Hermosillo, Sonora, México / Normal values of hemoglobin and hematocrit in healthy children 9 to 12 years old in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

Se determinaron los valores de hemoglobina (Hb) y hematócrito (Hto) en niños sanos escolares (9 a 12 años) de la ciudad de Hermosillo, Sonora, a partir de un total de 797 niños (5 a 15 años) como muestra inicial. Se seleccionaron los que cumplían los siguientes requisitos: residencia de seis meses, porciento peso para la talla entre 90-110% de la media de Ramos-Galván, ausencia de antecedentes infecciosos y de sangrado en los dos meses previos, no antecedentes de recibir medicamentos 15 días antes, niveles de proteína sérica superior a 5.0 g/dl (50 g/l), hierro sérico superior a 50.0 microng/dl (8.955 micronmol/l), examen de orina normal, estudios de materia fecal para sangre oculta negativos y ausencia de parásitos. Quedaron 180 sujetos entre 9 y 12 años y se eliminaron 50 por no cumplir con alguna de las restricciones del protocolo; por lo tanto, se estudiaron 130, 64 del sexo masculino y 66 del femenino, quedando la muestra por arriba del 99% de confiabilidad y un error máximo del 1%. Después de la primera determinación de Hb y Hto, se suplementó con hierro, ácido fólico y vitamina B12 durante 4 semanas; posteriormente, se determinó Hb y Hb nuevamente. No se encontró diferencia significativa (p <0.01) con respecto a los iniciales. El valor medio de Hb y Hto fue de 13.4 g/dl (8.316 mmol/l) y 41% respectivamente