Cholesterol Levels Improving in Kids and Teens

American kids' and teens' cholesterol levels are, on a whole, improving, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

However, one in 10 youths still had high cholesterol between 2007 and 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found.

The new study included 16,116 children and teens between ages 6 and 19, who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1988 and 1994, 1999 and 2002, or 2007 and 2010.

The researchers found that during the 1988 to 1994 and the 2007 to 2010 time periods, the children and teens experienced a decrease in total cholesterol levels and an increase in levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.

The total cholesterol levels decreased from 165 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood from 1988 to 1994, to 160 milligrams per deciliter between 2007 and 2010, researchers found.

The number of 6- to 19-year-olds with high total cholesterol decreased from 11.3 percent to 8.1 percent between the 1988 to 1994 time range and the 2007 to 2010 time range, researchers also found.

The Associated Press reported that the recent push to decrease trans fats may have played a part in the overall decrease in cholesterol levels.

Source: Huffingtonpost
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/07/cholesterol-teens-improving-levels-kids-youths_n_1753273.html