Dietary intake by children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)

This study assessed the dietary intake by children with IDDM to determine whether intake meets current nutritional recommendations for children with IDDM. Subjects were 66 children 4 to 9 years old. Dietary intake data were collected by 24 hr recall, via telephone interview, on three random days and analyzed for content of nutrients and other food components. Overall mean intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate, and cholesterol approximated current recommendations. Mean intake of fat, saturated fat, and sucrose exceeded recommendations, whereas fiber intake failed to meet recommended levels. Sixty-four percent of the children consumed < 55% of calories as CHO, but 72% of the children consumed levels of sucrose above recommended. Sixty-six percent and 76% of the children had intakes above recommendations for fat and saturated fat, respectively. Vitamin and mineral intake were adequate for the overall sample. However, from 10% to 40% of the sample had intakes <77% of the RDA for vitamins D and E, and zinc. These data suggest, that on average, adherence to current nutritional recommendations for children with IDDM was adequate in this sample but many individual children had intakes not consistent with recommendations. Funded in part by the Howard Heinz Endowment.