Chapter Introduction

18

CHILDHOOD NUTRITION

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Food Allergies and Intolerances AS PARADOXICAL AS IT MIGHT SEEM, COULD DIRT AND GERMS MAKE CHILDREN HEALTHIER FOR LIFE?

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Identify four primary objectives for sound nutritional guidance for children (Infographic 18.7)

  • Provide an overview of patterns of growth and development from preschool-aged children to early adolescence (puberty) (Infographic 18.1)

  • Describe how body mass index is used to assess if children are at a healthy weight for their age (Infographic 18.1)

  • Identify at least three nutritional challenges for children and adolescents (Infographic 18.2)

  • Describe how changes governing the types of foods that are offered at schools are expected to improve the nutrition profile of school meals (Infographic 18.4)

  • Describe how parents can use MyPlate to help in planning a healthy diet for their children (Infographic 18.7)

  • Describe at least three ways parents can foster positive eating habits and food choices (Infographic 18.7)

  • Discuss the consequences of childhood obesity on future health (Infographic 18.9)

  • Describe how food allergies develop, and identify four food allergens that are common among children (Infographic 18.10)

After World War II, a portion of Eastern Finland fell under Russian control. Today known as Russian Karelia, this area is inhabited by Russians as well as former Finns, and to scientists it has presented a fascinating opportunity to research environmental effects on health. “These two populations share partly the same ancestry, but differ in many lifestyle-associated factors,” explains Anita Kondrashova, a virologist at the University of Tampere in Finland. Among other things, standards of living and hygiene are significantly poorer in Russian Karelia than in Finland. But, surprisingly, some microbial infections are much more common in more affluent Finland.

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Finland and Russian Karelia share a border, but the residents of Karelia suffer fewer autoimmune diseases than their Finnish neighbors.

Thanks to a collaborative effort between Russia and Finland, scientists—including Kondrashova—have, since 1999, been collecting samples and information from children living in both areas to study a controversial idea known as the hygiene hypothesis. It posits that reduced exposure to childhood infections in developed countries can help explain drastic increases in the rates of allergies and other immune disorders, such asthma, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, and multiple sclerosis, in these regions. Whereas only about 2% to 3% of individuals in developing countries report suffering from asthma, for instance, 20% to 30% of those in developed countries do.

Kondrashova and her colleagues have shown that these same health disparities exist between Finland and Russian Karelia. Rates of autoimmune diseases are significantly lower on the Russian side; in fact, rates of type 1 diabetes are six times lower in Russian Karelia than in Finland, even among the Karelian residents who are genetically closest to the Finns. Celiac disease is less common in Russian Karelia than in neighboring Finland, too.

The hygiene hypothesis, which Kondrashova’s findings support, is one of several theories that could explain the rising prevalence of allergies, including food allergies, in industrialized countries. Food allergies are thought to affect nearly 5% of U.S. adults and 8% of U.S. children and are becoming more commonplace every year. A 2008 study by researchers at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported an 18% increase in food allergies between 1997 and 2007.

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Because food allergies limit certain food choices, they may make it more difficult for some kids to get the nutrients they need, particularly in children who have allergies to cow’s milk and in those who are eliminating multiple foods. But potential nutritional shortfalls can be prevented with proper dietary guidance. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, all children—even those with food allergies—should be able to obtain optimal physical and cognitive development, a healthy body weight, and minimize their risk of chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, cancer, and osteoporosis, through appropriate and enjoyable eating patterns and food choices balanced with regular physical activity.