Keep Your Kid's Cholesterol in Check

July 12, 2010— -- Should all children be screened for high cholesterol?

That's the suggestion of a study out of West Virginia that found that a family history alone isn't sufficient to catch high cholesterol among children.

In analyzing results from family histories and fasting lipid tests of more than 20,000 West Virginia youngsters, researchers found that 71 percent of them met guidelines for cholesterol screening based on family history.

But it said that a third of children whose cholesterol levels were high enough to merit treatment were being missed by guidelines so dependent upon family history. The study concludes that many youngsters could benefit from universal cholesterol screening that would allow for early diagnosis.

However Dr. Richard Besser, ABC News' senior health and medical editor for ABC News, is cautious of the study. He said the study did not take into account obesity levels and that we should be careful putting young children on medication they may have to use for the rest of their lives.

Besser suggests the emphasis should be on obesity prevention and the promotion of healthy eating habits and exercise for the whole family since weight loss and exercise is one way to reduce cholesterol without medication.

"Good Morning America" gathered some good cholesterol wrangling tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and WebMD:

Select a variety of foods so your child can get all the nutrients he or she needs.