Doctors split over cholesterol testing for children

SCREENING children for high cholesterol risks encouraging drug treatment that may turn out to be ineffective or unsafe, Australian doctors have claimed, joining a backlash against a US recommendation for universal blood tests in children aged nine to 11.

Kids' health predicts parents' future heart disease: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - When children have high cholesterol or blood pressure, their parents may have increased risks of diabetes and heart disease down the road, a new study finds. The study, of 519 Ohio families, found that a 12-year-old's weight, cholesterol and blood pressure helped predict the odds of a parent developing heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes over the next three ...

Kids' health predicts parents' future heart disease, study finds

When children have high cholesterol or blood pressure, their parents may have increased risks of diabetes and heart disease down the road

Toddler’s rare condition highlights need for universal cholesterol screening in kids

When Kennedi Thompson developed white, raised bumps on her skin, her parents initially thought she was having an allergic reaction. It turned out the bumps were a sign of dangerously high cholesterol for the toddler. Kennedi was just two years old when she was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia

Mark Hyman, MD: Why Women Should Stop Their Cholesterol-Lowering Medication

Treating risk factors like high cholesterol is misguided. We must treat causes -- what we eat, how much we exercise, how we handle stress, our social connections and environmental toxins are all more powerfully linked to creating health and preventing disease than any drug on the market.