The state of nutrition in obese children and adolescents with manifestations of metabolic syndrome
In the past decade, the number of obese children and adolescents has considerably increased. One of the reasons for this is malnutrition. The work presents the results of studying nutrition in obese children with manifestations of insulin resistance. The obtained data are compared with the state of nutrition in the group of healthy children and with the norms of consumption proposed by WHO. In a daily ration of children, excessive calorie contents due to an increased consumption of animal fat, saturated fatty acids and cholesterol were noted together with low contents of polyunsaturated fatty acids. A disproportionate increase of consumption of simple saccharides, a low consumption of fibers, vitamin A, ascorbic acid, and a relative deficit of iron were found. The nutritional status is not adequate to the age- and sex-related norms and is associated with marked disorders of carbohydrate, lipid and purine metabolism, which leads to marked changes on the part of the cardiovascular system. Also, disorders during the antenatal period of a child's life and specific features of the social status of families with obese children were revealed. According to the findings of a dietetic analysis, nutrition of children is irregular. A carbohydrate orientation in the ration is noted, though children have a relatively sedimentary lifestyle. In childhood, external food behavior promotes obesity. In adolescence, emotiogenic behavior can be observed, when overeating is conditioned by a child's emotional experiences. The results of the study are indicative of the necessity to single out risk groups for metabolic and exchange disorders as early as in childhood. Diet therapy should take into account all kinds of metabolic disorders.