ERIC Number: ED115590
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1975
Pages: 17
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Nutrient Requirements in Adolescence.
McKigney, John I,; Munro, Hamish N.
It is important to understand the nutrient requirements and the significance of nutrition both in pubescence and adolescence. The pubescent growth spurt is characterized by an increase in body size and a change in proportion of different tissues. Both of these factors are of great nutritional importance, since there is reason to believe that the growth spurt is sensitive to nutrient deprivation, although our knowledge of the requirements of adolescents for various nutrients is incomplete. The Food and Nutrition Board of the U.S. Academy of Sciences has published successive issues of its "Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA). "The Ten-State Nutrition Survey (1968-70)," which measured food intake of lower income families in the United States, shows deficits among adolescents when compared with the RDA. The dietary inadequacies of adolescents may sometimes be accentuated by situations causing extra demands for nutrients, such as pregnancy, injuries, and involvement in sports. Excessive intake of nutrients also occurs during adolescence; one of the most common conditions due to an imbalance between food intake and expenditure is obesity. Excessive intake of dietary fat, notably saturated fat, has been associated with elevated blood cholesterol levels. Studies have indicated that the onset of both atherosclerosis and obesity may well occur during childhood, and that the most appropriate time to apply preventative measures and to provide nutritional education is during adolescence. (BD)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: National Institutes of Health (DHEW), Bethesda, MD.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A