A recommendation from our federal g0vernment advises be tested for high cholesterol before they reach puberty so that they can prevent heart disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports a guideline that children between the ages nine and eleven be tested and then again between ages seventeen and twenty one.

Studies have shown that the beginning of cardiovascular disease begin in childhood, but may not show up until midlife, or even later. It is already known that many American children do not have a great diet and overweight and unhealthy. The estimate from the U.S. centers for disease control and prevention estimate seventeen percent of American children are obese, which is three times more than years ago.

The only kids that ever got tested for high cholesterol before were from families that had a history of this and early heart disease. We have all heard that kids need a healthy diet and a lot more exercise. Most would think that is common sense and we shouldn’t have to be tested if we lived and ate healthier. A test study in West Virginia showed that thirty seven percent of  the kids tested needed cholesterol reducing drugs.  It’s not always easy for everyone to avoid fatty foods, but what kid really wants to take cholesterol lowering drugs?