Plasma lipid levels and nutritional intake in childhood- and adolescence-onset young type 1 diabetic patients in Japan.

In recent years, the diet of the young Japanese has changed to westernized diet with high fat content. Childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients have had good diet training since onset of the disease, but adolescence-onset type 1 diabetic patients have already established westernized diet habit at onset of the disease, which may not be easily improved. We hypothesized that a difference of the age at onset of the disease may affect nutritional status and plasma lipid levels in Japanese type 1 diabetic patients. Plasma lipid levels and nutritional intake were compared between childhood- and adolescence-onset young type 1 diabetic patients. Our research involved 9 childhood-onset type 1 diabetic patients (childhood group), 11 adolescence-onset type 1 diabetic patients (adolescent group), and 24 age-matched non-diabetic control subjects. There were no significant differences in age and body mass index (BMI), daily energy intake among the childhood group, the adolescent group, and the non-diabetic control group. There was no significant difference in HbA1c level between the childhood group and the adolescent group. The adolescent group had significantly higher plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol than the childhood group (p<0.01, <0.05, and <0.001, respectively) or the control group (p<0.001, <0.001, and <00.001, respectively). The adolescent group had significantly lower plasma level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol than the childhood group (p<0.05). The adolescent group had significantly higher percentage energy intake from fat (31.7%, p<0.001), higher saturated fatty acids intake (19.0g/day, p<0.01), and higher cholesterol intake (428mg/day, p<0.05), and significantly lower polyunsaturated fatty acids intake (13.4g/day, p<0.05) and lower fiber intake (9.5g/day, p<0.01) than the childhood group. It is concluded that young Japanese type 1 diabetic patients with onset of adolescence have lipid abnormalities, which may be mainly caused by westernized dietary habits.