A Western dietary pattern at 14 years in a general population sample was associated with an increased risk of NAFLD at 17 years, particularly in obese adolescents. In centrally obese adolescents with NAFLD, a healthy dietary pattern may be protective, whereas a Western dietary pattern may increase the risk.

These findings implicate a Western dietary pattern in poorer behavioural outcomes for adolescents. Better behavioural outcomes were associated with a higher intake of fresh fruit and leafy green vegetables.

Objective: Dietary intake during adolescence contributes to lifelong eating habits and the development of early risk factors for disease in adulthood. Few studies have examined the dietary patterns of adolescents and the social and environmental factors that may affect them during this life stage. The present study describes dietary patterns in a cohort of adolescents and examines their associations with socioeconomic factors, as well as parental and adolescent risk factor behaviours. Design: A semi-quantitative FFQ was used to assess study adolescents' usual dietary intake over the previous year. Information was collected on family functioning and various socio-economic and risk factor variables via questionnaire.

Although diet-induced weight loss is first-line treatment for patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), long-term maintenance is difficult. The optimal diet for improvement in either NAFLD or associated cardiometabolic risk factors, regardless of weight loss, is unknown. We examined the effect of two ad libitum isocaloric diets (Mediterranean [MD] or low fat [LF]) on hepatic steatosis (HS) and cardiometabolic risk factors. Subjects with NAFLD were randomized to a 12-week blinded dietary intervention (MD vs. LF). HS was determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). From a total of 56 subjects enrolled, 49 completed the intervention and 48 were included for analysis. During the intervention, subjects on the MD had significantly higher total and monounsaturated fat, but lower carbohydrate and sodium, intakes compared to LF subjects (P < 0.01). At week 12, HS had reduced significantly in both groups (P < 0.01), and there was no difference in liver fat reduction between groups (P = 0.32), with mean (SD) relative reductions of 25.0% (±25.3%) in LF and 32.4% (±25.5%) in MD. Liver enzymes also improved significantly in both groups. Weight loss was minimal and not different between groups (-1.6 [±2.1] kg in LF vs -2.1 [±2.5] kg in MD; P = 0.52). Within-group improvements in Framingham Risk Score (FRS), total cholesterol, serum triglyceride (TG), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were observed in the MD (all P < 0.05), but not with the LF diet. Adherence was higher for the MD compared to LF (88% vs. 64%; P = 0.048). Conclusion: Ad libitum low-fat and Mediterranean diets both improve HS to a similar degree.

Background and aims: Overweight and other risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) as well as their clustering, are increasingly prevalent among adolescents. We examined dietary patterns, CVD risk factors, and the clustering of these risk factors in 1139 14-year-olds living in Western Australia. Methods and results: Usual dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Two dietary patterns, 'Western' and 'Healthy', were identified using factor analysis. Associations between these dietary patterns and BMI, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, fasting levels of serum glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides and insulin resistance were assessed using ANOVA. Cluster analysis identified a high risk group (the 'high risk metabolic cluster') with features akin to adult metabolic syndrome. Belonging to the 'high risk metabolic cluster' was examined in relation to dietary patterns using logistic regression, adjusting for aerobic fitness and socio-demographic factors. Higher 'Western' dietary pattern scores were associated with greater odds for the 'high risk metabolic cluster' (p for trend Z 0.02) and greater mean values for total cholesterol (p for trend Z 0.03), waist circumference (p for trend Z 0.03) and BMI (p for trend Z 0.02) in girls, but not boys. Scores for the 'Healthy' dietary pattern were not related to the 'high risk metabolic cluster' but were inversely associated with serum glucose in boys and girls (p for trend Z 0.01 and 0.04, respectively) and were positively associated with HDL-C in boys (p for trend Z 0.02). Conclusions: Dietary patterns are associated with CVD risk factors and the clustering of these risk factors in adolescence. ª

Objectives-This report presents the revised growth charts for the United States. It summarizes the history of the 1977 National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) growth charts, reasons for the revision, data sources and statistical procedures used, and major features of the revised charts.Methods-Data from five national health examination surveys collected from 1963 to 1994 and five supplementary data sources were combined to establish an analytic growth chart data set. A variety of statistical procedures were used to produce smoothed percentile curves for infants (from birth to 36 months) and older children (from 2 to 20 years), using a two-stage approach. Initial curve smoothing for selected major percentiles was accomplished with various parametric and nonparametric procedures. In the second stage, a normalization procedure was used to generate z-scores that closely match the smoothed percentile curves.Results-The 14 NCHS growth charts were revised and new body mass index-for-age (BMI-for-age) charts were created for boys and girls (http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts). The growth percentile curves for infants and children are based primarily on national survey data. Use of national data ensures a smooth transition from the charts for infants to those for older children. These data better represent the racial/ethnic diversity and the size and growth patterns of combined breast-and formula-fed infants in the United States. New features include addition of the 3rd and 97th percentiles for all charts and extension of all charts for children and adolescents to age 20 years.Conclusion-Created with improved data and statistical curve smoothing procedures, the United States growth charts represent an enhanced instrument to evaluate the size and growth of infants and children.

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We summarized the data related to foods high in saturated fat and risk of mortality. We searched Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and ProQuest for studies from January 1952 to May 2012. We identified 26 publications with individual dietary data and all-cause, total cancer, or cardiovascular mortality as endpoints. Pooled relative risk estimates demonstrated that high intakes of milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter were not associated with a significantly increased risk of mortality compared with low intakes. High intakes of meat and processed meat were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality but were associated with a decreased risk in a subanalysis of Asian studies. The overall quality of studies was variable. Associations varied by food group and population. This may be because of factors outside saturated fat content of individual foods. There is an ongoing need for improvement in assessment tools and methods that investigate food sources of saturated fat and mortality to inform dietary guidelines.