title: Regular breakfast and blood lead levels among preschool children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies have shown that fasting increases lead absorption in the gastrointestinal tract of adults. Regular meals/snacks are recommended as a nutritional intervention for lead poisoning in children, but epidemiological evidence of links between fasting and blood lead levels (B-Pb) is rare. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between eating a regular breakfast and B-Pb among children using data from the China Jintan Child Cohort Study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents completed a questionnaire regarding children's breakfast-eating habit (regular or not), demographics, and food frequency. Whole blood samples were collected from 1,344 children for the measurements of B-Pb and micronutrients (iron, copper, zinc, calcium, and magnesium). B-Pb and other measures were compared between children with and without regular breakfast. Linear regression modeling was used to evaluate the association between regular breakfast and log-transformed B-Pb. The association between regular breakfast and risk of lead poisoning (B-Pb≥10 μg/dL) was examined using logistic regression modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median B-Pb among children who ate breakfast regularly and those who did not eat breakfast regularly were 6.1 μg/dL and 7.2 μg/dL, respectively. Eating breakfast was also associated with greater zinc blood levels. Adjusting for other relevant factors, the linear regression model revealed that eating breakfast regularly was significantly associated with lower B-Pb (beta = -0.10 units of log-transformed B-Pb compared with children who did not eat breakfast regularly, p = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study provides some initial human data supporting the notion that eating a regular breakfast might reduce B-Pb in young children. To our knowledge, this is the first human study exploring the association between breakfast frequency and B-Pb in young children.
authors: University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, 418 Curie Blvd., Room 426, Claire M. Fagin Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6096, USA. jhliu@nursing.upenn.edu
authors: Jianghong
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Linda
authors: L
authors: McCauley
authors: Charlene
authors: C
authors: Compher
authors: Chonghuai
authors: C
authors: Yan
authors: Xiaoming
authors: X
authors: Shen
authors: Herbert
authors: H
authors: Needleman
authors: Jennifer A
authors: JA
authors: Pinto-Martin
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood* / Q000633:toxicity; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D018977:Micronutrients / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015032:Zinc / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D018977:Micronutrients; D007854:Lead; D015032:Zinc