The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the US
National Institutes of Health (NIH), recently announced its new
recommendation that all young children, regardless of risk, be screened for
high cholesterol -- first between the ages of 9 and 11, and again between the
ages of 17 and 21. The new guidelines overturn previous ones that applied
only to children with high risk or a family history of heart problems.
Dr. Stephen Daniels, pediatrics chief at the University of Colorado School of
Medicine and head of the panel that made the new recommendation, says
previous guidelines were inadequate for identifying all children with high
cholesterol or other heart risks. So by testing everyone, in other words, there
is far less chance that high-risk children will slip by undetected, he says.
But in reality, young children are still in their developmental stages, which
means their cholesterol readings are not necessarily accurate or indicative of
potential health problems. In most cases, simple dietary changes and
increased exercise, not statin drugs, is all it takes to quickly reverse what
might appear to be precursors to high cholesterol and heart disease later in
life.
Also, it has never even been scientifically proven that statin drugs are safe or
effective for anyone, let alone young children. A 2010 study published in the
British Medical Journal found that statin drugs can lead to cataracts, muscle
weakness, liver dysfunction, and kidney failure
(http://www.naturalnews.com/030317_s...). Another study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association found that statin drugs can
actually cause diabetes (http://www.naturalnews.com/033109_c...).
The policy change is a huge victory for the drug industry, as millions more
American children will now be diagnosed with potential heart conditions, which
means increased sales of statin drugs. Even CBS News has reported that the
new guidelines will lead to "more aggressive recommendations for treating
high cholesterol in children" (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_...).
Some defenders of the policy, however, insist that screenings will not
necessarily lead to more statin drug prescriptions. Parents of children who
test high will first be encouraged to help improve their children's overall health
through improved diet and a more active lifestyle, before ever resorting to
statin drug regimens.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_...
Federal government now says all young
children should get cholesterol screenings
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