Want a long life? Control Cholesterol Levels From Childhood

A team of researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests that if the cholesterol level is controlled from the early childhood then it can help in reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease, which takes lives of millions every year.

The review appears in the current issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation. The physician researcher, Daniel Steinberg, M.D., Ph.D., professor emeritus of medicine at UC San Diego and team call current approaches to lowering cholesterol to prevent heart disease "too little, too late."

In a review of the research, the authors say that lowering cholesterol in children and young adults could be potentially life-saving. While it should ideally be achieved through diet and exercise, drug treatment may also be necessary for those at the highest risk.

The researcher says that there is enough evidence which proves that low level of cholesterol is directly related to low rates of cardiovascular diseases. The review authors noted that "instituting a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet in infancy (7 months) is perfectly safe, without adverse effects."

Lipid researcher Steinberg said in a university news release, “Our review of the literature convinces us that more aggressive and earlier intervention will probably prevent considerably more than 30 percent of coronary heart disease.”

"Studies show that fatty streak lesions in the arteries that are a precursor to atherosclerosis and heart disease begin in childhood, and advanced lesions are not uncommon by age 30. Why not nip things in the bud?" he added.

Steinberg says that advancement has made in the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) in adults with cholesterol lowering drugs like statins.

Meanwhile, studies found that patients who are treated with statins have 30% decrease in death and disability from heart disease while 70% of patients have cardiacdefine events while on statin therapy.

A high level of LDL “bad” cholesterol can be dangerous as it lead to atherosclerosis (hardened arteries ) and coronary arterydefine disease (CAD) and heart attack. The methods for lowering bad cholesterol levels include cholesterol reducing drugs such as statins, fibrates, nicotinic acid and bile acid resins.

Exercising from young age and eating healthy diet can act as a defense against high LDL cholesterol. Processed and fatty foods can increase LDL cholesterol, whereas certain other foods can reduce it including skimmed milk products, fish with omega 3 fatty acids, veggies, legumes and fruits.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), eating foods that contain soy protein may lower total and LDL cholesterol levels.

A report released last moth by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)estimates that the total number of adults who say they are obese went up 2% between 2005 and 2007.

More than 9 million American children are overweight or obese. In United States, 1 out of 3 kids are now being considered as overweight or obese. Apart from United States, obesity is causing concern in the United Kingdom and Australia. British kids are among the most overweight in the world.

The main reason is sedentary lifestyle as many kids are spending less time exercising and more time in front of the TV, computer or video-game console. 25% of American kids’ below 10 years of age have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or some other contributor to heart disease.

Last month, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that cholesterol fighting drugs should be given to some kids as young as 8 years, earlier the age limit was 10 years but now the committee says that they have found evidence that damage leading to cardiovascular disease starts very early in childhood.

Another study which was presented at a pediatric research program on Friday suggests that obesity prevention efforts should begin as early as age two.

Previous study published last month in the Journal of the American College of Cardiologydefine (JACC) found that a "Japanese" diet rich in oily fish, which contains omega 3 fatty acids could may prevent heart disease because it builds up the amount of "good" fatty acids in the body, which protect the Japanese men against developing clogged arteries, despite other risk factors for heart disease.