High Cholesterol in Children; Why Children do Have High Cholesterol?
Sometimes we are not aware of how food can affect all members of the household positively or negatively. There are some diseases or ailments that are related only to older people, such as cholesterol. Also, there is usually the belief that it only affects those people, especially men, middle-aged, and overweight.
However, anyone, regardless of age or sex, can have high cholesterol at any time. By following a balanced diet and having healthy lifestyle habits, with a minimum of physical activity and proper rest, you can avoid raising cholesterol at any age. But it is essential also to know why children can have a rise in cholesterol despite not falling within the most affected group, which is that of middle-aged men with a weight higher than that recommended for their specific height and complexion in each case.
What it means to have High Cholesterol in Children and adults
Many people can fear cholesterol since it is always associated with heart problems and a state of health that is not recommended. However, the function of cholesterol is key to the proper functioning of our body. Not always having high cholesterol implies that you will suffer from the heart, as lowering this cholesterol level does not guarantee that you will not have any heart problems.
Thus, cholesterol, at its correct levels, is necessary and essential to fulfilling some of the important functions of our body such as the manufacture of hormones or the formation of the walls of the cells of the nervous system, among other functions such as the management of oxidative stress, the generation of cells such as testosterone and vitamin D or their regeneration. Therefore, the increase in cholesterol may not always have negative connotations or affect only those subjects mentioned as middle-aged and overweight.
Sometimes having high cholesterol, both children and adults, can have different causes that do not have to be harmful. However, having high cholesterol can also be an indicator of cardiovascular disease or stroke, so if the doctor has detected high cholesterol in the child, they will likely continue to perform tests to determine its cause and be able to remedy it as much as possible.
How to deal with High Cholesterol in Children
If the child who has been diagnosed with high cholesterol is under a lot of stress and does not follow a healthy diet with healthy lifestyle habits, it is time to start improving their living conditions. It is essential that a sport is chosen with which the child enjoys, has a good time, and can perform the amount of exercise necessary.
Finally, adapt the diet to lower the high level of cholesterol, which may have been caused by consuming too many ultra-processed foods or foods rich in sugars and saturated fats. It will be more convenient for the child to start eating more fruit and vegetables and reducing the consumption of recommended foods for those who must control high cholesterol, such as egg yolk, red meat, some dairy products, and seafood. This must always be corroborated with the doctor so that we are not removing from the child foods from his diet that is essential at such an important stage of his life as growth.
If high cholesterol is produced by excess weight in the child, the doctor is likely to be more strict in recommending a specific diet and physical activity for the sake of the child’s health. However, the genetic factor also affects cholesterol levels. If the parents tend to have it high, the child may be affected by the same cause, and the child health professional will recommend how to proceed.
