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HowToPreventHeartDisease.com |
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Should Overweight Kids Be Given Cholesterol Drugs? Cholesterol is a soft and fat-like substance. Too much of it will block the arteries, denying blood flow to the heart and other parts of the body. In general, there are 2 types of cholesterol. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is classified as the good cholesterol, and its function is to transport fats and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) deposits to the liver to be broken down. LDL, on the other hand, is the bad cholesterol that leads to formation of plaque, which clogs up the arteries and raises the risk of heart disease. Doctors usually recommend the use of statins to lower LDL levels for their adult patients. Surprisingly, the new guidelines, issued by American Academy of Pediatrics on July 7, 2008, recommend for the first time that some children as young as 8 should be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to prevent future heart problems. The recommendation is based on the statistics showing around a third of American children are overweight and almost a fifth obese are obese, and on mounting evidence that damage leading to heart disease begins early in life. Furthermore, recent research also shows that statins (cholesterol-fighting drugs), cited by proponents that it may be the best choice for preventing early heart attacks, are generally safe for children. The Academy believe that if more aggressive approach is done in childhood, some of the heart attacks and strokes in adulthood might be avoided.
Children with the age of at least 8 years old, who have too much LDL along with other risk factors including obesity and high blood pressure, should be treated with drug. For overweight children with too little HDL, the best approach is still to lose weight, perform more physical activity and go through nutritional counseling. Pediatricians are advised to start routinely checking cholesterol levels for children with a family history of cholesterol disease or early heart disease, those whose family history is unknown and those who are overweight, obese or have other risk factors. Screening is recommended for children after the age of 2 but no later than 10. The academy has long recommended against feeding children below the age of 2 with reduced-fat milk because saturated fats are needed for brain development. But because obesity is a risk factor for heart disease and often accompanied by cholesterol problems, the academy is now suggesting one-year-old infants for whom overweight or obesity is a concern be fed with low-fat milk. Reasons cited for such a abrupt change in their standing are that very young children are increasingly getting fats from sources other than milk and evidence provided by recent research shows no harm from reduced-fat milk in these youngsters. According to a children's heart specialist, 15 years ago most patients with cholesterol problems had inherited cholesterol disease and were unconnected to obesity. But now, overweight kids with cholesterol problems and high blood pressure are nothing surprising. Something must be done to stop the tide of childhood obesity. This is undeniable but the new guidelines will almost certainly spark further controversy amid continuing debate about the use of prescription drugs in children and the best approaches to ward off heart disease in adults. Who is right and who is wrong would rest on the subsequent research evidence and medical results which could take years to find out, I suppose.
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