Childhood Obesity - Do you have an overweight child? We offer tips to help your child lose weight and get fit!

The My Overweight Child blog will help you keep informed about the latest research, findings, and resources available to parents of overweight or obese kids. There are many knowledgeable people working on the increasingly dire problem of childhood obesity - and we want to give parents a place where they can check in regularly to see the latest studies and tips available to help you help your child lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

We invite you to add your comments - if you have feedback for the blog, would like some specific topics covered, or you just want to share your experience as a parent dealing with childhood obesity.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Few Kids Need Cholesterol Meds

Less than one percent of American children - or about 200,000 young people - need to take cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to a new study in the journal Circulation.

Dr. Stephen Daniels and his colleagues examined data on 10,000 children who participated in a national health survey. About 2,700 had been checked for LDL levels, and of those, between five and seven percent had elevated levels. Using guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the researchers determined that only 0.8 percent of those who were studied should take drugs that lower cholesterol.

The Academy recommended last year that even children as young as eight should take such medications if they had conditions such as obesity and high blood pressure.

Labels: cholesterol, medications

Posted By: Aspen Education Group