Re: Reducing cholesterol - warning

[Guest guest]

I had a high cholesterol reading and changed it in less than 6 weeks by diet

modifications.   All I did was remove the cheese I loved and some other dairy

products from my diet .  Repeat testing revealed readings in the 'low' level. 

 

Cholesterol is found in animal products.   I would urge any parent to not

consider medication for a condition related to food intake.  I am not a

militant vegetarian by any means - I grew up in Australia eating steak for

breakfast (!) but there is enormous evidence for the health benefits of a diet

higher in the fruits and vegetables nature provides for us. My very healthy

teenager has been vegetarian from birth. 

 

Googling 'cholesterol' will bring up multiple references to foods found to

reduce cholesterol. Good luck in keeping our children medication free...

 

--

- On Wed, 14/7/10, jeannne buesser <jbmistletoe@...> wrote:

From: jeannne buesser <jbmistletoe@...>

Subject: [ ] Article

ApraxiaNetworkOfBergenCountyegroups,

Received: Wednesday, 14 July, 2010, 1:33 PM

July 13, 2010

A new study argues that all children nationwide should get tested for

cholesterol levels. Current federal recommendations suggest doctors test

children with family histories of heart disease — that means if you have a

parent or grandparent who suffered a heart attack or stroke before the age of

55.

Some health experts worry that such testing could lead to inappropriate drug

treatment for kids. While cholesterol-lowering medications have been proved safe

and effective for adults, there are no significant studies with children. The

concern is that since children would be taking these medications for the rest of

their lives, long-term studies of both safety and effectiveness are needed.

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Testing All Children

In West Virginia, pediatric cardiologist Dr. Neal wanted to see what

would happen if all children over the age of 10 were tested for cholesterol.

He analyzed results of more than 20,000 fifth-graders who were tested, and his

findings were somewhat surprising. Neal says if testing for cholesterol had

stuck to current recommendations and only children with family histories were

measured, they would have missed a lot of kids with problems.

Of the 548 children they would have missed who had abnormally high cholesterol,

Neal says, 98 had cholesterol levels so high that treatment with medication

would be worthwhile.

No Studies On Drugs In Children

While studies have shown these cholesterol-lowering drugs are effective for

adults and are mostly safe — with relatively rare side effects — there have

been no studies showing the drugs' safety and effectiveness with children over

the long term.

That is one major reason why Neal says the first line of defense against high

cholesterol is ensuring a healthy lifestyle, including a low-saturated-fat diet

and more exercise than adults. He recommends children exercise for at least one

hour every day of the week.

Experts Seek Early Cholesterol Tests For All Kids

Dr. Reginald Washington, a pediatric cardiologist with the Rocky Mountain

Hospital for Children, says earlier is better when it comes to testing for

cholesterol.

Starting Treatment Early

If kids are tested and diagnosed as early as age 10, then treatment, says

Washington, can save lives and health care costs down the road by helping

prevent hardening of the arteries — a known risk factor for heart disease.

Washington says that if someone has high cholesterol as a child, it can begin

the process of arterial hardening early on. It's always better, he says, to

prevent a disease process from beginning in the first place. Washington adds

that research shows 70 percent of children with high cholesterol grow into

adults with high cholesterol.

Harvard Medical School pediatrician Dr. Gillman agrees, but adds that

testing children for potential problems later in life is a complex and

potentially risky idea. When kids get tested for cholesterol, he says, they get

follow-up tests and recommendations that might suggest medication and can be

costly. It's a difficult balance, he says, where risks and benefits both have to

be weighed.

Most doctors agree that children with genetic predispositions for high

cholesterol should be tested.

Both Gillman and Washington are serving on a federal expert panel that's

considering whether to recommend testing all children for cholesterol. Those

recommendations are expected by the end of this year.

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