Even Teens Can Have High Cholesterol
by Jennifer Bunn, RN
Most of us associate high cholesterol levels with advancing age. Cholesterol is something you are not supposed to have to worry about until middle to late adulthood. This is not necessarily the case: a new study has shown that many teens have high cholesterol levels, predisposing them to the risk of heart disease at a younger age.
A study of 3,125 teens found that an astonishing 20% of the subjects, aged 12 to 19, had abnormally high lipid or cholesterol levels. Males were affected more often than females. In some cases high levels correlated with the teen being overweight, but even some of the normal-weight teens (14.2%) had unhealthy levels. Being overweight would likely lead to screening of cholesterol and lipid levels for some of the teens, but those of normal weight would likely not be tested on a routine basis.
The study pointed to the need for health care professionals and parents to be aware of the risks of these high levels, and to encourage teens to modify their risk factors early. Exercising and weight reduction, as well as watching their diet, should be counseled. For teens who have a positive family history of heart disease, this may be even more important.
Source: Prevalence of Abnormal Lipid Levels Among Youths — United States, 1999—2006 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5902a1.htm
