1 in 5 U.S. Kids Has High Cholesterol

Jan. 22 -- THURSDAY, Jan. 21 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty percent of U.S. children and teens have abnormal lipid levels, an indication of too much bad cholesterol, too little good cholesterol or high triglycerides, federal health officials report.

These abnormal levels can raise the risk for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Obesity may be linked to these high levels," said report author Ashleigh May, an epidemic intelligence service officer with the CDC.

"Forty-three percent of obese youth are eligible for therapeutic lifestyle counseling, and 22 percent of overweight youth were also eligible," she added.

Doctors need to be aware of lipid screening guidelines and treatments, especially for obese and overweight youth, May said, because abnormal lipid levels can lead to heart disease down the road.

"We really need to identify youth early who have these abnormal lipid levels so we can reduce their risk for later heart disease," May said.

The report is published in the Jan. 22 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, May's team looked at lipid levels among 3,125 youths aged 12 to 19 who participated in the survey from 1999 to 2006.

Specifically, the researchers looked at levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol; HDL, or "good," cholesterol; and triglycerides.

May and her colleagues found that children and teens who were overweight or obese were more likely to have abnormal lipid levels compared with youths who were normal weight.

In fact, 22 percent of overweight children and teens and 43 percent of obese children and teens had abnormal lipid levels, compared with 14 percent of their normal weight counterparts.

In addition, 32 percent of these young people are candidates for lipid screening, according to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.