Every child should be tested for high cholesterol between ages nine and 11 so steps can be taken to prevent heart disease later on, a panel of doctors urged Friday in new advice that is sure to be controversial.

Until now, major medical groups have suggested cholesterol tests only for children with a family history of early heart disease or high cholesterol and those who are obese or have diabetes or high blood pressure. But studies show that is missing many children with high cholesterol, and the number of them at risk is growing because of the obesity epidemic

Elizabeth Duruz didn't want to take that chance. Her 10-year-old daughter, Joscelyn Benninghoff, has been on cholesterol-lowering medicines since she was 5 because high cholesterol runs in her family. They live in Cincinnati.

"We decided when she was 5 that we would get her screened early on. She tested really high" despite being active and not overweight, Duruz said. "We're doing what we need to do for her now and that gives me hope that she'll be healthy."

Yup your cholesterol is fine(until we lower the numbers again for an acceptable cholesterol level) but you never needed that liver anyways. Lipitor has an almost insignificant impact on lowering the risk of heart attacks, none on preventing a second, and no effect whatsoever on those with diabetes, which is the focus of this new reccomendation...children who are fat.

Schools and parents need to encourage more physical acivity in a child's day rather than rely on drugs(prescribed by doctors, who are funded by pharmaceutical companies only concerned with their profit margins). You'd see a dramatic drop in obesity rates and kids who are 'diagnosed' with ADHD.

... physical activity ...

So when hereditary high cholesterol comes into play, nothing but medication helps to lower it.

but they are finding that that the cholesterol medication doesn't significantly lower your chance of suffering a heart attack, and as I pointed out, not at all if you suffer from diabetes. Since the issue here is the concern over obese kids developing diabetes, the cholesterol lowering meds aren't really an answer to the problem. Lowering cholesterol in kids isn't going to fight obesity. As you pointed out, your FiL was in great shape and his problems were genetic in nature. The 'specialists' in this case are trying to treat hyperlipidity that is caused by inactivity with meds...not a good idea considering the side effects of the drugs on your liver and muscle tissue. They also negatively impacts the immune system, the CNS and brain development.

I just watched the documentary 'Generation Rx' last night. It was all about loading up kids and teens with all sorts of prescription drugs. It's actually pretty disturbing how quick people are to give their children all these drugs without any thought as to how it might effect the chemistry in the developing brain.

One part of the film showed one of the doctors trying to give definite signs and symptoms of ADHD at some ADHD conference, but he couldn't get through his little speech without stuttering and sounding totally lost.



It's a good film to watch if you ever come across it.

They're targeting the kids that are nearly 100% certain to die of heart disease at some point.

Child obesity has nothing to do with this. I don't think the proponents of putting kids on Lipitor are suggesting that for reasons of obesity. They're targeting kids with genetically high cholesterol. They're targeting the kids that are nearly 100% certain to die of heart disease at some point. They're suggesting that starting kids on cholesterol-reducing statins early in life will give the kids a 30 year head-start on those of us that didn't do anything about high cholesterol until our middle age. I wish Lipitor were available when I was a kid. I'd have taken a low dose of it, knowing what I know now about heart disease and my family history.

I figure I've got a heart attack coming. My father and grandfather went down that way. My doctor knows more about heart disease than I. She says the best chance for me to postpone that event as long as possible is by low dosage medical statins combined with natural source statins, diet and exercise. I'm comfortable with that...in fact, I'm betting my life on it.

My logic says...'Don't we all?'

A low dose of aspirin would be just as good.

Nope. Those of you without genetically high cholesterol get to suffer with cancer or pneumonia or Lou Gehrig's disease. We of the heart-disease predisposition go instantly.