Our specific aim was to assess differences in nutrient intake and in lipids and lipoprotein cholesterols between blacks and whites in 259 black children (129 boys, 130 girls) and in 811 white children (424 boys, 387 girls) ages 5-19. The nutrient intake data were obtained by 24-hr recall from the Houston and Cincinnati Lipid Research Clinics. The fundamental nutrient differences between blacks and whites were in total calories and in calories per kilogram of body weight, both of which were uniformly and significantly lower among black than white boys and generally, but less consistently and significantly, lower among black than white girls. No racial differences in total cholesterol or cholesterol intake per kilogram body weight were observed. After statistically controlling for education of the head of household, there were no consistent significant racial differences in Quetelet index. There was no significant independent effect of education of head of household on the children's caloric intake and racial differences in socioeconomic status did not appear to systematically account for differences in total energy intake. In aggregate, black children had lower triglyceride and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol than whites; there were no significant differences by race in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Race was a significant independent explanatory variable for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (higher in blacks) and for very-low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels (higher in whites) (P less than 0.005), after covariance adjusting for education of head of household, sex, age, Quetelet index, calories, saturated fat (g/day/kg body wt), and clinic. Lower caloric intake among blacks compared with whites, the major nutrient difference in the current study, did not account for differences in lipoprotein cholesterol levels between the two groups.