1 out of every 5 kids in the U.S. has unhealthy levels of cholesterol in their blood. That's according to a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Federal health officials studied data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey that was conducted between 1999 and 2006. They looked at the lipid levels of 3,125 kids from 12 to 19 years of age and found that twenty percent had too much bad cholesterol and too little good cholesterol.
"Overweight and obese young people are at far greater risk of having abnormal lipid levels than are youths with normal weights," said lead researcher Ashleigh May, PhD, in a news release.
43% of obese children included in the study had unhealthy cholesterol levels compared with 14% of those who were normal-weight and 22% of those who were overweight.
Researchers also found that more boys (24%) than girls (16%) had abnormal lipid levels.
Abnormal lipid levels and obesity are know factors for heart disease. The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines currently recommend cholesterol screening for children and teenagers who have a family history of high cholesterol or premature heart disease, or who have at least one major risk factor for heart disease including smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, or being overweight or obese.
The study was published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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