Effect of Infancy-onset Dietary Intervention on Salivary Cholesterol of Children: a Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Journal of dental research 2011-07, Vol.90 (7), p.868-873
• Main Authors: Karjalainen, S., Söderling, E., Saarinen, M., Larsson, B., Johansson, I., Simell, O., Niinikoski, H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Child; Children; Cholesterol; Cholesterol - analysis; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, Dietary; Dentistry; Diet Records; Diet, Fat-Restricted; Fatty Acids; Female; Humans; Infants; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Paraffin; prevention; Prospective Studies; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Saliva; Saliva - chemistry; salivary and serum lipids; salivary diagnostics; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0022-0345; 1544-0591; 1544-0591
• DOI: 10.1177/0022034511405328

This study investigated salivary cholesterol of children from 6 to 16 years of age in response to dietary intervention. One thousand sixty-two infants started in the prospective, randomized project. At 3 years of age, every fifth child was invited into the study (n = 178). Of these, 148 enrolled, and 86 completed the oral sub-study at 16 years of age. The intervention aimed at restricting the child’s saturated fat and cholesterol intake. Control children received no special recommendations. Every third year, paraffin-stimulated saliva samples (10.0 mL) were collected for cholesterol assays. Nutrient intakes and serum total cholesterol concentrations were regularly followed up by means of 4-day food records and blood samples. Intake of saturated fatty acids (SAFA) was lower in the intervention than in the control group (p < 0.001). Salivary cholesterol concentration increased from 1.9 (± 1.1) µmol/L at 6 years of age to 16.0 (± 9.0) µmol/L at 16 years of age. The increase was smaller in the intervention than in the control group (p < 0.001). The ratios of salivary to serum cholesterol concentrations tended to be higher in boys than in girls (p = 0.07). Thus, dietary intervention was reflected in children’s salivary cholesterol values more sensitively than in serum cholesterol values. (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00223600).