Nutrition and the Life Cycle Dietary Fat and Childrenʼs Health

Childhood is a time of rapid physical growth, development, and learning. These features of childhood are critical in defining the nutritional needs of children and adolescents, and they provide the framework for dietary guidelines and nutrition policy. Childhood is also a time when individuals begin to establish eating habits that may differentially promote or discourage the development of chronic disease later in life. Therefore, the goal of nutrition during childhood is to promote dietary habits that achieve optimal health, growth, and development in a manner that also minimizes risk of nutrition-related disease. This article focuses on the role of fat in the overall picture of this period.