Case Problem: Dietary treatment for children with hyperlipidemia

The patient is a 9-year-old white female, with a height of 128cm and a weight of 26.5kg (BMI=15.6). She has a family history of hypercholesterolemia: her father’s mean cholesterol level is 6.81±1.12mmol/l and her mother’s mean cholesterol level is 3.38±1.01mmol/l. On her father’s side of the family, her grandfather had ischemic cerebrovascular disease and an uncle has coronary heart disease (CHD). On her mother’s side of the family, the grandfather has CHD and the grandmother has diabetes mellitus. She is physically active and trains 8 hours per week in swimming and judo. The family’s diet is rich in fish and vegetables and is low in cholesterol (compatible with growth necessities) and simple carbohydrates. The only oil used in cooking is extra virgin olive oil (91.6% of fats: 12.7% saturated fatty acids, 71.4% unsaturated fatty acids, 7.5% polyunsaturated fatty acids, 0.3% cholesterol). Except for the patient’s blood serum lipid values, all other laboratory values are normal.