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ARS Home » Plains Area » Houston, Texas » Children's Nutrition Research Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #150737
Title: METABOLIC ADAPTATION TO HIGH-FAT AND HIGH CARBOHYDRATE DIETS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Author
item TREUTH, MARGARITA - JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV
item Sunehag, Agneta
item TRAUTWEIN, LYNN - BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MED.
item Bier, Dennis
item Haymond, Morey
item Butte, Nancy

Submitted to: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/2/2002
Publication Date: 2/1/2003
Citation: Treuth MS, Sunehag AL, Trautwein LM, Bier DM, Haymond MW, Butte NF. Metabolic adaptation to high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets in children and adolescents. Am J Clin Nutr 2003;77:479-489.

Interpretive Summary: We showed that healthy, non-obese children and adolescents adapt appropriately to high fructose and high carbohydrate diets. The high-fructose diet did not significantly alter thermogenesis or 24-h net carbohydrate or fat utilization, but did slightly lower net carbohydrate utilization and increase net fat utilization during fasting and in the subsequent feeding period. These studies demonstrate the tremendous metabolic flexibility that non-obese adolescents have when consuming food not widely differing in macronutrient content.

Technical Abstract: BACKGROUND: Difficulty adapting to high-fat (HF) and high carbohydrate (HC) diets may predispose children to obesity and diabetes. OBJECTIVE: We tested the hypothesis that children have metabolic flexibility to adapt to HF and HC diets. DESIGN: In protocol 1, 12 children aged 6-9 y and 12 adolescents aged 13-16 y were randomly assigned in a crossover design to consume low-fat (LF), HC (25% and 60% of energy, respectively) or HF, low-carbohydrate (LC) (55% and 30% of energy, respectively) diets. In protocol 2, 12 adolescents aged 13-16 y were randomly assigned in a crossover design to consume an LF-HC diet with 11% or 40% of carbohydrate as fructose. Total energy expenditure, nonprotein respiratory quotients (NPRQs), and substrate utilization were measured by using 24-h calorimetry. Effects of sex, puberty, body fat (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), intraabdominal fat (magnetic resonance imaging), and fitness on substrate utilization were tested. RESULTS: Substrate utilization was not affected by puberty, body fat, intraabdominal fat, or fitness. Total energy expenditure was not affected by diet. In protocol 1, NPRQs and carbohydrate and fat utilization were significantly affected by diet (P = 0.001) and sex (P = 0.005). NPRQs and carbohydrate utilization increased with the LF-HC diet. NPRQs decreased and fat utilization increased with the HF-LC diet; changes in substrate utilization were less pronounced in females than in males. In protocol 2, 24-h NPRQs and 24-h substrate utilization were not significantly affected by fructose, although net carbohydrate and fat utilization were significantly lower and higher, respectively, with the high-fructose diet during fasting (P = 0.01) and in the subsequent feeding period (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Healthy, nonobese children and adolescents adapt appropriately to HF and HC diets.