Obesity Not a Good Predictor of High Cholesterol in Kids
You don't have to be a doctor to suspect an overweight or obese person is going to have some health problems--sometimes it obvious.
Nowadays you hear a lot of reports about healthy-looking people getting heart disease, hypertension and high-cholesterol.
Turns out, same goes for kids. That's why a new study claims using obesity alone is not a good predicator of high-cholesterol in children.
If you looked at a group of kids and had to guess who had the high-cholesterol, you'd probably pick the "big" kids. But, findings in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, reveal children with high BMI can actually have normal cholesterol levels, while healthy-weight kids can have high-cholesterol.
This is prompting researchers to recommend reevaluating the way kids are screened for high-cholesterol, so that fewer unnecessary tests are performed.
I'm no doctor, but I think taking a look at a kid's diet and physical activity level is a surefire why to tell. I don't know, call me crazy!
Via Booster Shots.
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Gerry, for healthy-weight kids with high-cholesterol, wouldn't the critical factor be their genetically determined cholesterol sensitivity as opposed to their diet and physical activity level? I don't think anyone can out-exercise a predisposition to high cholesterol in the case of a person who is a so-called "cholesterol absorber".
Also, how exactly would you screen a kid's diet and physical activity?
ReplyProbably, genetics is another thing to consider.
I think screening kids is easy, just ask them (or their parents too) what they eat and how much they exercise.
ReplyYes. Because people always tell the truth about that.
ReplyEven though complaints from chronic pain patients are easier to diagnose and document we now have created a situation where doctors are under-prescribing out of fear, especially if their patient are in their last stages of life because the docs can be charged with murder if autopsies shows high traces of pain medication, this indicated findrxonline in article. I pray this madness comes to an end and I sincerely hope none of you will ever be dying in extreme pain in a hospital, nursing home or maybe at your own house while the doctor is afraid to give you that prescription or injection during your last moments. Yes, definitely keep this medication away from kids but do make it available to those who can benefit from it!
ReplyGreat post! I think a lot relies on the parents and watching what their kids eat for the most part. Most parents don't pay too much attention and that is why kids are getting bigger and bigger.
ReplyI would think that most kids that have very high cholesterol and are at a normal weight should be checked for genetic hypercholesterolemia. My dad has it and so did his dad. His dad always had extremely high levels of cholesterol and he suffered 4 heart attacks during his lifetime. My dad's isn't as bad, but he is on a statin and niacin and will probably always have high cholesterol even though he's not overweight.
ReplyCholesterol is simply a "comorbidity" situation. It is something of a red herring in evaluating heart health. It likely exists as a common effect, not the heavily influential direct causative factor in heart disease.
This obsession with cholesterol levels take the focus away from the real issue, which is a well rounded nutritional approach coupled with regular physical activity.
I hope to God we don't start putting kids on statins. I can't remember who, but one physician said that taking meds to lower cholesterol is like smashing your check engine light in your car to fix the problem with the engine. I thought that was a great way to put it.
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