Protein in the diet of children: a discussion of current recommendations
1996
Wynn, M. | Wynn, A.
The British National Diet and Nutrition Survey has described the diet of a representative sample of children aged 1 ̜to 4 ̜years. The first results of the latest American survey NHANES III have also been published. These results are compared with the British reference nutrient intakes (RNIs). The median British and American preschool child is shown to eat between two and three times the RNI for protein. It is shown that a reduction of the average child's protein intake to the level of the RNIs would be likely to inhibit the immune system reducing resistance to infectious disease, to depress levels of growth hormones and reduce rates of growth, and that children's protein consumption lower than present levels has been associated both historically and geographically with worse health. It is suggested that any advice recommending or accepting a change in children's diets should be justified by observation and experiment with particular reference to children's growth and the immune response and other effects on health. The new survey should be used to provide standards for catering and collective purposes, subject to any validated modifications in the interests of health.
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