one in five youths aged 12 to 19 years has abnormal lipid levels

[Guest guest]

New data from the *Centers for Disease Control* *and Prevention *(CDC) shows

that one in five youths aged 12 to 19 years has abnormal lipid levels [1].

Also, nearly one-third of these youths are obese or overweight and based on

their body-mass index (BMI) are candidates for lipid screening, according to

investigators.

In an editorial accompanying the new report [2], the CDC urges clinicians to

be aware of the lipid screening guidelines so that interventions for

overweight or obese children and youths can be recommended. " Healthcare

providers can refer eligible youths to nutritional counseling, community

fitness programs, and school-based lifestyle programs, " writes the CDC.

The new report, from a combined sample of four *National Health and

Nutrition Examination Survey* (NHANES) surveys taken from 1999 to 2006,

includes data on 9187 youths, of which 3733 provided fasting blood samples

for lipid testing.

Among the sample, 20% had at least one abnormal lipid measurement, such as

elevated LDL cholesterol (*>*130 mg/dL), reduced HDL cholesterol (*<*35

mg/dL), or elevated triglyceride levels (*>*150 mg/dL). Researchers also

showed that compared with normal-weight youths, those who were overweight or

obese were significantly more likely to have at least one abnormal lipid

measurement.

In addition to these findings, the CDC report also showed that boys were

more likely than girls to have low HDL cholesterol, while older youths,

those aged 18 to 19 years, were more likely to have low HDL and elevated

triglyceride levels than kids aged 12 or 13 years.

The researchers point out that, based on the *American Academy of Pediatrics

* (AAP) screening recommendations, 32% of youths would be eligible for lipid

screening based solely on their BMI. The AAP recommends screening based on

family history of high cholesterol or premature cardiovascular disease or an

unknown family history of high cholesterol or premature disease, as well as

the presence of at least one major cardiovascular disease risk factor,

including overweight/obesity.

www.medscape.com

--

Ortiz, MS, RD

We focused 2009 on our losses -

let's focus 2010 on what we have