Should children take cholesterol reducing drugs?

Dr. Gupta is absolutely correct about being the last resort (and a distant one at that). Before a parent would ever consider a statin, they should also rule out inflammation as being the culprit. Cholesterol is only a piece of the pie when assessing cardiac health.

sounds to me like the pharmaceutical industry is getting ready to cut a deal with the american medical association.

"sean in santa rosa"

While I agree that something should be done about elevated cholesterol levels in children, medication should definately be a last resort. I have two concerns, one would be that alot of medications have no studies on their long term effects in children, and what about side effects and how they would manifest themselves in a child.

The bigger question is what do you do if exercise, weight loss and diet fail? Is it better to be overweight with normal cholesterol on long term medications or is it better to be overweight with high colesterol and a failed exercise plan?

It should be noted that there are genetic disorders, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, that cause people to have high cholesterol even in childhood, which generally does not respond to diet and exercise alone and which can lead to heart disease very early in adult life. While this is not the case for every child with elevated LDL, it is not that rare either (estimated incidence 1:500 people). I have this disorder and have been on drug treatment, either statins or earlier drugs like Cholestid, since childhood, with no long term side effects. Drugs like statins have been a godsend to families like mine, in which people used to die of heart attacks in their 30s and 40s, before these drugs were developed. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that this is all about the drug companies making money or people being too lazy to eat right or exercise. Each case needs to be evaluated in its own context, including family history.

The best way to reduce high ldl levels is not by taking extra medications as it will strain the kidneys and liver but by working out and getting the body's skeletal system to start burning that fat as an energy source
so watch little piggy dont take the lazy mans way out and chomp on pills get up and exercise

Statins should be a last resort only. Unfortunately, given our American culture, we are basically calling out for a last resort because we are a culture incapable of self-discipline. Obesity numbers are rising geometrically and are already costing children major quality of life problems, let alone the dozens (hundreds in indirect costs)of billions of dollars it's costing the adult population. Statins are not the final answer. But we need something to stem the tide.

These drugs destroy a lot of adult lives and they want to give them to children ? Safe ???? I don't thinks so . I know I'm one of those adults whose lives it has ruined.

Yikes - by all means, change that kids diet. This is an epidemic, obesity and now cholesterol? What ever happened to parenting? The parents should be responsible for this problem - in some ways I consider this abuse.

Nicole, the funny thing is that you've just bought into the lie that statin drugs lower your risk of heart disease. You can even check the ads of any major statin. Crestor, for instance, clearly states that it had never been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack or heart disease. So, essentially one can die of a heart attack with low cholesterol or they can die with high cholesterol, either way they're still dead. Also, the rule of genetics has essentially been abolished in science. No one is a slave to their parent's genes. That hypothesis comes from old, old "science". Considering putting kids on a drug that has basically no purpose other than to make money and give people a false sense of security is criminal. We will never solve the healthcare problems of this country by taking a chemical substance from the outside and putting it into a biological body. That is a contradiction. Everyone who has bought into the high cholesterol lie should read up on what cholesterol is and why your body needs it to survive. The drug companies keep lowering and lowering what is considered "normal" cholesterol. I don't think I need to point out why. Do your own research before you listen to anyone's opinions (mine included). If we all took control of our own health rather than blindly following pharmaceutical-sales-rep-educated doctors then maybe things would change.

Arn't our kids exposed to too many drugs already. There are so many ways to lower cholesterol but just eating the right foods and avoiding the saturated fats.
More drugs are never a good replacement for a good healthy diet and lifestyle.
Check out http://www.foodshighincholesterol.info to find out more.