To determine the relation between serum cholesterol level (SCL) and growth in preadolescent children (2-12 years of age) in the United States, we examined the association of SCL and three measures of growth in a national sample of American children from 1971 to 1974. We investigated three parameters: sitting height, standing height, and weight and undertook separate analyses for sex and race. We found no consistent statistically significant associations with any of these three measures of growth. This result did not change when we adjusted the data for age alone or for age, poverty index, serum protein level, and hematocrit. We conclude that growth in this population group is not dependent on SCL.