One in five Americans kids has unhealthy cholesterol levels, and more than 8 percent have the most worrisome high cholesterol levels, a new survey finds, NBC News reported.
Nearly 27 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds had at least one measure of unhealthy cholesterol, the National Center for Health Statistics found. And more than 43 percent of obese kids had bad cholesterol levels.
The findings support recommendations to start screening even young children for cholesterol, said Dr. Julie Brothers, a preventive cardiologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who was not involved in the study. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends cholesterol screening all children ages 9-11.
Unhealthy cholesterol levels can mean arteries are already being blocked with hardening "plaques" that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Ultrasound examinations of children as young as 10 have shown they can have arteries that are already as clogged as those in some middle-aged people.
