Cholesterol Drugs Now Safe For Kids!
Yes, it's true. Recent research says kids as young as eight years old can now safely go on cholesterol lowering medication!
Man, I can't believe they are seriously pushing that. Yes, overweight kids probably have high cholesterol, but let's focus on a solution, not a patch. Most people would probably be surprised to know that the whole science of cholesterol is pretty weak. Lots of people live their whole lives with high cholesterol and never experience any problems, and some people with low cholesterol can be in danger for a heart attack. In fact, the whole science of cholesterol (LDL, HDL, triglycerides, etc.) is so over-simplified that it's basically useless as a mainstream medical concept.
For example, some forms of LDL (the BAD cholesterol), aren't that bad for you, and only a very specific kind, known as VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), actually contributes to heart disease. This form typically only manifests itself on diets high in sugar, which usually coincides with high triglycerides (which when used in conjunction with a low HDL reading can be used as a warning sign for insulin resistance, also known as metabolic syndrome, syndrome-X or hyperinsulinemia).
Most people are surprised to learn that 2/3 of the fat in a typical steak will actually improve your cholesterol profile, while only 1/3 will make it worse. Yet dated nutrionalists still insist that the only way to lower cholesterol is basically to remove fat from the diet and eat lots of vegetables. And while the latter is obviously ok, fat is needed in a healthy diet, and many european diets are heavy (by western standards) with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, both of which typically lead to improved health.
Truthfully, most people overmedicate themselves. This is probably due to pressure from drug companies trying to make a profit, or maybe the erosion of will in doctors who, despite giving good advice for most of their careers, have been disheartened by the lack of improvements in the general population. In this case, I think giving cholesterol fighting drugs to kids is an amazingly bad idea since it doesn't address the problem, but instead attempts to apply a dirty band-aid to it. In addition. cholesterol fighting drugs are relatively new, and I don't think the safety profile is well-established enough to recommend giving it to anyone who isn't in imminent danger of having a heart attack.