While high cholesterol in children is usually associated with childhood obesity, that is not always the case. High cholesterol can occur under other circumstances. There are several risk factors for children, especially teens. These include:
Family History: If other members of the family, particularly parents, have high numbers, the kids are at risk. Male relatives under 55 and female relatives under 65 have heart disease, the risk goes up more. Other factors that can be a problem include relatives who are obese, overweight, has diabetes or smokes.
Child is Obese: Just as it would be for us, if the child is obese, the chances are good that the cholesterol will be also. Many of the foods that increase numbers are favorites of the young set. School lunches in some areas contribute by being high in fat, sodium and cholesterol.
No Knowledge of Birth Family History: Children who are adopted probably won't have access to a family history. In order to protect their health, having regular cholesterol (and other) screenings may be required. Talk to your pediatrician.
What can you do? There are a lot of things. First, find out if there is a problem. Have your child's blood tested. If the numbers are normal, you can wait three to five years before repeating the test. If it isn't then it's time to act.
Diet: While it isn't easy for an adult to be on a low fat, happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet, it's even harder for kids, and not just because they want to eat the same stuff everyone else eats. It would be wise to consult a nutritionist to get guidelines. A child who is still growing has different nutritional needs than an adult.
There are many things that you can do in the meantime. Increasing fiber intake, getting rid of trans fats and making sure any fats used are of the healthy variety is important. More fruits and vegetables prepared in a healthy way are good. I put that caveat in there because potatoes are a vegetable but french fries do not figure into a cholesterol lowering diet.
Medications: If dietary changes aren't enough...and they may not be...your teen may need medications to get the numbers under control. However, many pediatricians don't have experience dealing with high numbers in kids. You may get a referral to a specialist who can figure out the necessary dosages and type of medication. That shouldn't alarm you, it's in the best interest of the child to make sure the right amount is given.
Herbs: A great deal of caution has to be used when giving herbal preparations to children, especially if they are under twelve. Garlic, flax seed and fish oil may all be helpful in taking care of this problem, but do check with your pediatrician first.
High cholesterol can cause a lot of problems. The earlier it is detected and treated, the fewer problems will result. Our children are our future.
Mary Bodel, MH: For more information about herbal remedies and about cholesterol, see my site: healing-home-remedies.com/natural-healing-articles/important-information-about-cholesterol healing-home-remedies.com/natural-healing-articles/important-information-about-cholesterol/. You can also download my report the Top Ten Herbs, which contains information about ten popular herbs, their uses, side effects, precautions and interactions. There are also many articles available on various conditions and remedies for them. If you wish to contact me, you can e-mail me at:
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