Body fat cannot identify high cholesterol

04 Aug 2009 - Posted by the Editorial Team

A child's body fat is not an effective indicator of high cholesterol, new research has discovered.

Scientists at the University of Michigan, US, found that body mass index "does not work well" in terms of identifying children with high cholesterol levels.

It was discovered that screening obese or overweight children could identify roughly half of those with abnormal cholesterol levels, while 30 per cent of children would be tested for high cholesterol unnecessarily.

Commenting on the findings, study lead author Joyce Lee said: "There were many overweight and obese kids who had normal cholesterol, and there were a fair number of healthy-weight kids who had high cholesterol."

The paediatrician went on to say that cholesterol testing guidelines may need to be revised in light of the findings, because "we may be missing high cholesterol in some kids and unnecessarily testing others".

Cholesterol does not dissolve well in the bloodstream but becomes soluble when coated with lipoproteins.

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• LESCOL XL (statin)
  ... an adjunct to diet for the reduction of elevated total cholesterol (total-C), low- density lipoprotein cholesterol ( LDL-C ), apolipoprotein B (apo B) and triglycerides (TG) levels and for the increase of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia and ...
• CHOLESTAGEL Film-Coated Tablets
  ... reduction in LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia who are not adequately controlled with a statin alone. Cholestagel as monotherapy is indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet for reduction of elevated total and LDL- cholesterol in patients with isolated ...
• OLBETAM
  Olbetam is indicated for the treatment of lipid disorders characterised, according to Fredrickson, by elevated plasma levels of triglycerides (type IV hyperlipo-proteinaemia), or cholesterol (type IIA hyperlipoproteinaemia) and triglycerides and cholesterol (type IIB hyperlipoproteinaemia ...
• LOPID
  ... by hypertriglyceridaemia and/or low HDL-cholesterol. Primary hypercholesterolaemia, particularly when a statin is considered inappropriate or is not tolerated. Primary prevention Reduction of cardiovascular morbidity in males with increased non-HDL cholesterol and at high risk for a first ...
• Gemfibrozil
  ... hypertriglyceridaemia and/or low HDL- cholesterol . Primary hypercholesterolaemia, particularly when a statin is considered inappropriate or is not tolerated. Primary prevention Reduction of cardiovascular morbidity in males with increased non-HDL cholesterol and at high risk for a first ...