Private MD News

Dietary counseling helps children lower cholesterol

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Recently, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute issued recommendations suggesting that children undergo regular cholesterol testing. This cause a significant amount of controversy, as some groups expressed the opinion that this may lead to undue worry on the part of their parents.

Now, a new study suggests that it may be possible to get around this situation by drastically reducing the odds that a child will develop high cholesterol. Researchers from Turku University Hospital showed that children who receive dietary counseling starting when they are young and continued through adolescence tend to consume much less saturated fat and have lower cholesterol levels.

This could quell much of the controversy caused by the cholesterol testing recommendation. If a simple dietary intervention effectively improves the cholesterol levels of young people, it may not be necessary to check their heart health as often.

High cholesterol levels in childhood are considered a major risk factor for future cardiovascular complications. Individuals with heart health risk factors in childhood tend to carry them into adulthood. Maintaining low cholesterol levels through adolescence may be an important part of supporting good heart health later in life.