Nutrition in children

Children are not little adults. Their needs differ from those of adults because of the rapid and complex changes they undergo in metabolism and development. These changes have their basis in growth, and the rate of growth changes during childhood: It is extremely rapid during the first year of life, then it slows until adolescence, when it again accelerates. The composition of body mass accreted varies during childhood. It is mostly fat during the first year of life and during adolescence in girls. Children's nutrient needs therefore vary with their age and rate of growth. The following studies focus on the relation between early nutrition and later achievement, nutrition in premature infants, nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis, the controversy over cholesterol screening and intervention programs, and primary malnutrition.