Kids now can be prescribed cholesterol medications
Categories: Health & safety, Eating & nutrition, Medical conditions, In the news, Mealtime
Dr. Stephen Daniels, of the academy's nutrition committee, says the new advice is based on mounting evidence showing that damage leading to heart disease begins early in life, as well as research showing cholesterol-fighting drugs are safe for children.
"If we are more aggressive about this in childhood, I think we can have an impact on what happens later in life ... and avoid some of these heart attacks and strokes in adulthood," Daniels said.
The AAP has also reversed its original stance against giving children under the age of 2 reduced fat milk. Higher fat milk was recommended because saturated fats are essential for brain development. "But now we have the obesity epidemic and people are thinking maybe this isn't such a good idea," said Dr. Frank Greer of the University of Wisconsin, co-author of the guidelines report, which appears in the July edition of Pediatrics, the group's medical journal.
Young children are now getting the fat they need from sources other than milk and the updated recommendation is based on recent research showing no harm came from younger children drinking the reduced-fat milk.
Other things parents can do to fight obesity in their children:
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Do a physical activity as a family EVERY day, we're not talking a daily marathon, just a nightly walk , bike ride or even game of Frisbee.
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Turn off the electronics and send kids outside for some fresh air during the day.
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Limit high fat food consumption. If you find yourself in a drive-thru more than once a week on a regular basis, it's time to rethink your meal planning. If cooking time is limited at night, pull out the old crock-pot and prepare something the day before.
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Explore the world of fruits and vegetables. Try an old favorite and something new and exotic every night for a week.
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Limit consumption of juice, energy drinks and pop. Water is cheaper, more refreshing and is actually good for you!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Nicola 7-07-2008 @ 5:16PM
I am so sad for these children who's diet is so incredibly messed up that they end up not only being told NOT to drink healthy full fat milk (the normal state of milk!) and denied other products rich in essential fats, but are now being put on cholesterol medications. All because their parents couldn't seem to figure out how to avoid feeding them up on soda, candy, and french fries from earliest childhood. We need to get at the root of the problem rather than adding to the layers of dirty bandaids.
For the record, our family eats lots of eggs and cheese, we drink only full fat milk (full cream actually, straight from the Jerseys), and are all fit, healthy, thin, and energetic. What are we doing to our children, America? Wake up!
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DianeTM 7-07-2008 @ 5:42PM
Time magazine had a great cover story recently about childhood obesity that I think all parents should read. Hi Angie from your favorite OB.
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rugbymom 7-07-2008 @ 6:54PM
My 14 year old son is in the best shape of his life. He plays on a football and lacrosse team. He works out daily with the football team and five nights a week in a gym. He is 6'1" and 200 lbs of pure muscle. He doesn't eat junk and is not overweight. His diet is 90 per cent organic. Guess what? He has high blood pressure and needs medication. His heart showed thickening after only having high blood pressure for a couple of months. Get your kids blood pressure checked. We probably saved my son from a heart attack or heart disease by getting it checked early.
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Heather 7-07-2008 @ 7:17PM
YAY, one more way to put more drugs in Americas kids! Not like there aren't already enough ways to make kids zombies.
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Katrina 7-08-2008 @ 7:03AM
From the articles I have read and what I have seen on the news this is not only about overweight/obese kids. From what I've seen and read what they are really pushing for is that kids who have a family history of high cholesterol, heart disease, and high blood pressure should be the ones to be checked. Also kids where the entire family medical history be checked.
A young boy on the news last night looked incredibly thin to me and yet his mother was talking about how a strict diet and exercise did not help lower her sons cholesterol but that the medication he was prescribed did.
I will have my son checked and while he eats a mostly vegetarian diet by choice and is extremely active, he is at risk because we have a high incidence of HBP and Heart disease in my family. This is the same reason I get checked yearly as well. Always better safe than sorry.
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Monica 7-08-2008 @ 8:47AM
My husbands family has chronically high cholesterol. They could eat apples and water and still have high cholesterol. Luckily both children inherited my familys cholesterol gene's and won't have this to deal with but for kids who do having these medications available at a young age will make a major difference in their future health.
Think of it in terms of diabetes. Genetic cholesterol issues are like Type 1 diabetes. A genetic crapshoot that they lost. The drugs can also be used for those who cause this through diet but that is not the purpose they were developed for.
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