ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 1996 TAG: 9601100142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHICAGO
SOURCE: Associated Press
Children exposed to lead will absorb less of it if they eat less fat, a new study suggests.
Certain nutrients have long been known to affect the rate at which the body takes up lead, a toxic metal that can retard youngsters' development, lower their IQs and damage their hearing.
Children can be exposed through dust, dirt and drinking water. Toys and houses painted before 1975 - the last year lead-based paint was used - can be sources. Water can be contaminated if it flows through lead pipes. Children may eat paint flakes or inhale or lick lead dust, which tastes sweet.
Poor children are most likely to be exposed.
Dietary calcium and iron are known to block lead absorption, but the effects of many other nutrients have not been explored.
In a study of 296 inner-city preschoolers, 9 months to 3 years old, the researchers found that those with high levels of fat in their diet were more likely to have dangerous levels of lead in their blood.
The researchers said if further study supports their findings, it ``would further strengthen the recommendation of a low-fat diet as a healthy one for children.''
Federal health officials recommend no restriction on fats for children under 2 because it might harm their growth.
The research was led by Susan R. Lucas of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The findings are reported in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Lead levels among the children ranged from 1 to 55 micrograms per tenth of a liter of blood, and averaged about 11. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says anything above 10 can cause lead poisoning in children.
LENGTH: Short : 43 linesby CNB