title: Endothelial function in healthy 11-year-old children after dietary intervention with onset in infancy: the Special Turku Coronary Risk Factor Intervention Project for children (STRIP).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Early childhood introduction of nutritional habits aimed at atherosclerosis prevention reduces children's serum total cholesterol concentration, but its effect on vascular endothelial function is unknown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1990 and 1992, we randomized healthy 7-month-old infants (n=1062) to intervention (low-saturated-fat diet) and control (unrestricted diet) groups. At the age of 11 years, endothelium-dependent (flow-mediated) and endothelium-independent (nitrate-mediated) vasodilatory responses of the brachial artery were measured with high-resolution ultrasound in 179 intervention and 190 control children. The effect of intervention on endothelial function was significant in boys (P=0.0034) but not in girls (P=0.69). The maximum endothelium-dependent dilation response (mean+/-SD) was 9.62+/-3.53% and 8.36+/-3.85% in intervention boys and control boys and 8.84+/-4.00% and 8.44+/-3.60% in intervention girls and control girls, respectively. Intervention had no effect on nitrate-mediated dilation. The difference in endothelial function in boys remained significant after adjustment for current serum total or LDL cholesterol but became nonsignificant after adjustment for mean cholesterol measured under 3 years of age (adjusted means: 9.46% [CI 8.68% to 10.24%] versus 8.54% [CI 7.75% to 9.32%], P=0.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A low-saturated-fat diet introduced in infancy and maintained during the first decade of life is associated with enhanced endothelial function in boys. The effect is explained in part by the diet-induced reduction in serum cholesterol concentration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Physiology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. olli.raitakari@utu.fi
authors.forename: Olli T
authors.initials: OT
authors.lastname: Raitakari
authors.forename: Tapani
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rönnemaa
authors.forename: Mikko J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Järvisalo
authors.forename: Tuuli
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaitosaari
authors.forename: Iina
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Volanen
authors.forename: Katariina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallio
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lagström
authors.forename: Eero
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jokinen
authors.forename: Harri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niinikoski
authors.forename: Jorma S A
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Viikari
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Simell
mesh_terms: D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D002784:Cholesterol