At age 10 (pictured), I was 80 pounds with spindly legs, boundless energy, and had a whopping total cholesterol level of 248 m/dL. My doctor confirmed my mother’s worst fears after she insisted I have it checked during a routine physical.
My mother knew that even at my relatively young age, my family history of high cholesterol increased my risk of heart disease and urged the doctor to check it. To lower this risk, I would need to reduce my elevated LDL levels and maintain an overall cholesterol level of no more than180 m/dL. As for treatment, my mom and doctor decided to start with lifestyle changes. That meant sticking with the activities I already enjoyed—jump rope, hopscotch, butterfly-catching—and swapping fatty foods for more healthful ones: oat bran, low-fat cheese, good fats, grilled chicken (instead of fried), turkey bacon, egg whites, and skim milk.
When it comes to treating high cholesterol in children, much has changed since I was diagnosed in the ’80s. Had I been found to have high cholesterol today, because of family history, it’s likely my doctor would have considered prescribing a statin drug. Currently, millions of prescriptions are written for children with high cholesterol. In fact, in 2009, pediatricians wrote children in the U.S. at least 2.8 million prescriptions for drugs to lower cholesterol; nearly 2.3 million of them were for statins.
To date, a recent analysis concluded that there are no long-term studies of statin use in children that establish whether or not the medications actually reduce the number of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in adulthood. There is also concern over the long-term potential risk for children and adolescents who use these medications for years or decades, particularly the effects on the developing central nervous system, hormone levels, immune function, and organs. (Most statins are approved for use in children with an inherited cholesterol disorder called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, which causes very high levels of LDL in the blood—along the lines of over 500 mg/dL, leading to artery damage and possibly heart attacks at a relatively young age.)
The good news—and relief for my mother—came one year after my initial diagnosis. My LDL levels dropped significantly, and my total cholesterol level was a healthy 171. Medical miracle? Not in this case. When it comes to managing high cholesterol, research shows that a heart-healthy diet and regular exercise not only improves LDL and HDL cholesterol levels, but reduces blood pressure, lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes, controls body weight, eases stress and depression, and may reduce arterial inflammation as well.
Over the years, my cholesterol levels have remained in the healthy range with the help of those healthy habits “prescribed” by my pediatrician. Of course, I’ve made some modifications. My diet isn’t quite as strict—I cringe at the sight of oat bran and occasionally surrender to my cravings for fried, buttery comfort foods, and I’ve replaced hopscotch and jump rope for yoga, brisk walks, and the elliptical.
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