Animal Source Foods - Adequate Food for All - page 186

physiological stress and accelerated growth (Mangels and Messina 2001). Nutrients
of concern for children raised on diets that do not contain any animal source foods
are iron, zinc, iodine, vitamin B 12 , vitamin D, and calcium (Institute of Medicine
20 01).
Negative associations between the vegetarian or vegan diets and the health of
children in developed countries have been found in some studies. Children in New
Zealand who avoid drinking cows' milk had low dietary calcium intakes and poor
bone health (Black et al. 2002). British vegan children were smaller and had lower
body weights compared with nonvegan children (Sanders and Purves 1981). Lower
rates of growth have also been reported in children reared on vegan (Sanders and
Purves 1981, O'Connell et al. 1989) and macrobiotic diets (Sanders and Purves
1981, Dagnelie et al. 1994). A macrobiotic diet is in some ways similar to a diet
characteristic of children in developing countries. It consists primarily of cere-
als (mainly rice), vegetables, legumes, marine algae, small amounts of cooked
fruit, and occasionally fish. No meat or dairy products are used. Rickets were also
observed in children reared on vegetarian (Curtis et al. 1983) and macrobiotic diets
(Dagnelie et al. 1990). The Dutch infants consuming macrobiotic diets also had
poorer nutritional status and were more likely to have deficiencies of riboflavin,
vitamin B 12 , and iron, with consequent anemia (Dagnelie et al. 1990). After 2 years
of increased consumption of fish or dairy products, their linear growth velocity
improved (Dagnelie et al. 1994). The same children followed up in adolescence
showed impaired cobalamin status and low bone mineral density (Rutten et al.
2005). Adequate milk consumption in children has been associated with better
bone density in adulthood (Hirota et al. 1992, Murphy et al. 1994, Teegarden et al.
1999). In Nepal, xerophthalmia in young children was less likely to occur if they
had relatively high meat or fish intakes when they were 13 to 24 months of age
(Gittelsohn et al. 1997).
AnImAl souRce foods: functIonAl outcomes
In chIldRen In develoPIng countRIes
Diets of children from poorer regions in developing countries usually do not con-
tain animal source foods, and parents do not have the choice to include a vari-
ety of healthy foods, fortified foods, or supplements into their children's diets as
have families who live on vegan or vegetarian diets in developed countries. A large
number of studies have been carried out investigating the relation of micronutri-
ent deficiencies, particularly of iron, zinc, and vitamins A and B 12 to functional
outcomes in children. These are described in Chapters 10 and 11 of this topic. The
inclusion of animal source foods in diets gives the chance to increase the intake of
iron, zinc, and vitamins A and B 12 and prevents deficiencies and consequent health
impairment. Several cross-sectional studies have shown that consumption of ani-
mal source foods is associated with improved nutritional status and growth among
children in developing countries. Findings from the Human Nutrition Collaborative
Support Program, a longitudinal observational study in Egypt, Kenya, and Mexico,
suggest that low intake of animal protein is associated with low intakes of available