[Towards preventive dietetics in children].

Our views on paediatric nutrition have considerably changed during the last 20 years. Some hereditary metabolic diseases testify to the remarkable efficacy of a specific preventive dietetics avoiding the development of mental retardation. Although certain deficiencies (in iron, fluorine, folates, vitamin D) are persisting in France, the major problems concern the prevention in childhood of allergy, obesity, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and even certain cancers, all diseases which play a crucial role in the morbidity and mortality of adults. Numerous uncertainties still exist, but in the present state of our knowledge we can already develop some recommendations which should replace the much abusive publicity that prevails in the information given to the public.