Nothing good comes from leading an unhealthy lifestyle and this starts at home. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 21% of American children and teens have some form of “abnormal” blood cholesterol reading that puts them at risk for heart disease as they get older.
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CDC researchers compiled federal health data from 2011-2014 and they found that:
- 13% of kids had unhealthy low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol
- 8% had high levels of other forms of cholesterol that are bad for the arteries
- 7% had unhealthy high levels of “total cholesterol
Obesity helped drive these trends because 43% of children that were obese had an abnormal cholesterol reading, compared to 14% of children that were normal weight. Unfortunately the numbers only get worse as kids age. For example, 6% of kids ages 6 to 8 had high levels of bad cholesterol and those numbers doubled to 12% by the time the kids reached their mid-teens.
What Can Parents Do?
The first thing parents need to do is adopt healthy eating and exercise habits as a family. If your children see that you’re eating healthy and exercising, they will follow in your footsteps. Obesity is a big problem in the U.S. and approximately one-third of children and adolescents are either overweight or obese.
Dietary and Lifestyle Tips to Lower Cholesterol
- Limit saturated fats, trans fats, and increase good types of fats, like Omega 3 fatty acids
- Eat more fiber, more beans, oats, barley, fruits and vegetables
- Add an exercise program, at least 30 minutes daily
Unfortunately, there are no visible signs of bad cholesterol until it’s too late, which is why healthcare professionals advise to check cholesterol levels on school-aged children with a simple blood test. It’s especially important if there’s a family history of heart disease, like a parent that has high cholesterol or some type of heart disease.