The Washington Post reports that “one out of every five US teenagers has a cholesterol level that increases the risk of heart disease,” according to a new study published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
For “the study … researchers analyzed data collected from 3,125 youths through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” The data indicated that “20.3 percent had abnormal ‘blood lipid’ levels.”
Bloomberg News reports that “obese children were at the highest danger of abnormal levels, with 43 percent testing outside the recommended ranges.”
Ashleigh May, an epidemiologist at the CDC’s division of heart disease and stroke prevention, said, “Parents should inquire about whether their child is eligible for this lipid screening, especially if their child is overweight or obese.”
MedPage Today reported that “an unsigned commentary by MMWR’s editors noted that ‘untreated abnormal lipid levels in childhood and adolescence are linked to increased risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood,’ but they stopped short of endorsing routine lipid testing for adolescents.”
MedPage pointed out that “the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening youths with specific risk factors such as overweight and family history.”
Now, since most children with abnormal lipids also are overweight or obese, you’ll be pleased to learn that I have a number of resources to help families deal with these issues in positive and constructive ways:

• My Amazon.com best-selling book, SuperSized Kids: How to protect your child from the obesity threat. You can order the book here, read the Table of Contents here, or read the first chapter here.
• My SuperSized Kids Web site, that you can find here.
• My SuperSized Kids assessment tool that will help you evaluate the activity and nutrition habits of your family. That assessment tool is available for free here.
• My 8-Week Family Fitness Plan (SuperSized Kids 8-Week Plan), available for freehere.