The American Academy of Pediatrics Recommends Cholesterol Drugs for Kids
The American Academy of Pediatrics is seeking to change some of its recommendations regarding children who have too much so-called “bad” cholesterol.
According to the new recommendations, children as young as eight should be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to prevent future heart problems. This is a significant change from the previous recommendations, which said cholesterol-reducing drugs should only be given to children older than 10 who have weight problems.
Doctors should also consider putting patients who are at least 8 and have too much LDL cholesterol (the “bad” one, as it is also known) and who also suffers from other conditions like obesity and high blood pressure on cholesterol-lowering drugs, the academy recommends. Children with elevated cholesterol readings are recommended change their diet, increase physical activity and weight reduction.
And, for the first time, the academy is recommending that even 1-year-olds should be given milk low in fats, in cases where overweight and obesity run in the family or “is a concern.” This, apparently, means that all children will have to be given low-fat milk.
The recommendations go even further than that. More exactly, children older than 2 should be given a healthful diet, which means decreasing sugar and carbohydrate intake and avoiding saturated trans fats, which are often found in many animal products, fast foods and commercially baked goods.
In other words, parents should give their children foods high in fiber and many fruits and vegetable. Doctors also recommend parents to cook more at home instead of taking their children out and have dinner at a fast food. This way they encourage a healthy diet and also they make their children realize that fast foods are not good for a healthy life.
“What is lost these days is the family meal. Families who shop, cook and prepare meals together are generally healthier, have a better outlook on nutrition and have lower cholesterol levels,” said Dr. Daniel Levy, a pediatrician and the national spokesman for the academy, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The recommendations stem from the fact the previous statistics show a worrisome increase in children who are obese and therefore they have obesity-related health problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes, and increased risk of stroke.
The childhood obesity epidemic has become a national problem for years. The worst part is that significant changes in the U.S. diet dating back decades, including fatty and sugary fast foods, snacks, processed foods and beverages and fewer fresh fruits and vegetables, do not seem to help very much.
Also, it’s no longer a secret that most children would rather play video games and watch TV rather than do outside activities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends moderate activities such as walking or riding a bike for at least one hour per day.
Childhood obesity has become a major reason of concern, as most of the obese children are more likely to develop obesity-related diseases. According to the American Diabetes Association, about 176,500 children and adolescents younger than 20 have diabetes, and 2 million teenagers have blood glucose levels higher than normal, a condition called pre-diabetes.
To reduce risk of obesity, many doctors say there should be more public health campaign to combat childhood obesity. Also national efforts are needed to reduce the number of overweight and obese kids, including regulating junk food advertisements to children and providing more money, including insurance reimbursement, for obesity prevention and treatment program.
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