Children's cholesterol too high

[Luddly Neddite]

Children's Cholesterol Levels Are Too High, Study Finds - Forbes

A new study of over 12,000 children finds that about a third of them have borderline or “abnormal” cholesterol levels. The new research, which will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting next week, confirms previous evidence that the heart health of our kids is in not in great shape. In fact, since childhood cardiovascular health – as measured by obesity, diet, activity level, and, of course, blood fats – is a strong predictor of adult cardiovascular health, we should take these studies to heart, and help our kids make healthy lifestyle changes as early as we can.

“The sheer number of kids with abnormal lipid profiles provides further evidence that this is a population that needs attention and could potentially benefit from treatment,” said study author Thomas Seery. “But we can only intervene if we diagnose the problem.”

The new study found that about 35% of all the 9- to 11-year-old children had borderline or abnormal cholesterol levels. Obese children were more likely to have unhealthy levels of all kinds of cholesterol, and 40% more likely to have borderline or high total cholesterol. Boys were more likely than girls to have abnormal levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol, while girls were more likely to have low levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol.

While kids aren’t themselves likely to have heart attacks, having markers of heart disease in childhood is a predictor of what’s to come. In fact, more and more studies are showing the link between poor heart health in childhood and heart risk in adulthood. “We know that higher levels of, and cumulative exposure to, high cholesterol is associated with the development and severity of atherosclerosis,” Seery said. “If we can identify and work to lower cholesterol in children, we can potentially make a positive impact by stalling vascular changes and reducing the chances of future disease.”

 

[waltky]

Lowers LDL or 'bad' cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent...

Studies find new drugs greatly lower cholesterol
Mar 29,`14 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new class of experimental medicines can dramatically lower cholesterol, raising hopes of a fresh option for people who can't tolerate or don't get enough help from Lipitor and other statin drugs that have been used for this for decades.

The first large studies of these drugs were presented Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Washington, and more will follow on Sunday. Several companies are developing these drugs, which are aimed at 70 million Americans and millions more worldwide who have high LDL or "bad" cholesterol, a major risk for heart disease. Three studies of Amgen Inc.'s version of these drugs, called evolocumab (ev-oh-LOKE-you-mab), found it lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent from baseline levels compared to others who took a fake drug, and by nearly that much when compared to Merck's Zetia, another cholesterol medication. As impressive as that is, it's still just part of the picture. Doctors want evidence that the way these drugs lower cholesterol also will lead to fewer heart attacks and deaths, because that proof already exists for statins. New studies are underway to test this, but Amgen said it will seek approval for its drug this year based on cholesterol-lowering alone.

That was enough to win approval for statins and Zetia, but use of Zetia has declined since 2008, when research showed it failed to help prevent heart attacks even though it cut cholesterol. Hopes are high that the new Amgen drug and others like it will do better. "I would be happy to see it approved" on the cholesterol results alone, said Dr. Hadley Wilson, a cardiologist at Carolinas HealthCare System. "We need additional agents other than statins" to help patients, he said. Nearly all current cholesterol medicines - fibrates, niacin and top-selling statins - are decades old. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor curb cholesterol production. Zetia, which came out about a decade ago, helps block the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. The new drugs block PCSK9, a substance that interferes with the liver's ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

They have big drawbacks, though. Statins are pills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day. The new drugs are proteins rather than chemicals, and those tend to be very expensive to make. They also must be given as shots every two weeks or once a month. People can give the shots to themselves with a pen-like device. The companies developing the new medicines have not said what they might cost. "We were very, very pleased" about how well patients accepted the shots, and if they offer better results, especially for those with inherited conditions, "people will accept it," said Dr. Michael Koren of Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research in Florida, who helped lead two of the studies.

The three Amgen studies involved about 2,000 patients in all. Doctors tested the drug in people with high cholesterol not taking other medicines, as a long-term (one-year) treatment in people already taking various medications and in combination with statins and other drugs in people with an inherited cholesterol disorder. In general, side-effect rates were about the same for evolocumab vs. placebo or Zetia. In some studies, muscle aches, nausea and a few other problems were a little higher with the experimental drug. Overall safety "is very, very encouraging," said Dr. Scott Wasserman, Amgen's executive medical director.

Researchers also said:

 

[Crystalclear]

All that fat American children.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Lowers LDL or 'bad' cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent...

Studies find new drugs greatly lower cholesterol
Mar 29,`14 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new class of experimental medicines can dramatically lower cholesterol, raising hopes of a fresh option for people who can't tolerate or don't get enough help from Lipitor and other statin drugs that have been used for this for decades.

The first large studies of these drugs were presented Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Washington, and more will follow on Sunday. Several companies are developing these drugs, which are aimed at 70 million Americans and millions more worldwide who have high LDL or "bad" cholesterol, a major risk for heart disease. Three studies of Amgen Inc.'s version of these drugs, called evolocumab (ev-oh-LOKE-you-mab), found it lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent from baseline levels compared to others who took a fake drug, and by nearly that much when compared to Merck's Zetia, another cholesterol medication. As impressive as that is, it's still just part of the picture. Doctors want evidence that the way these drugs lower cholesterol also will lead to fewer heart attacks and deaths, because that proof already exists for statins. New studies are underway to test this, but Amgen said it will seek approval for its drug this year based on cholesterol-lowering alone.

That was enough to win approval for statins and Zetia, but use of Zetia has declined since 2008, when research showed it failed to help prevent heart attacks even though it cut cholesterol. Hopes are high that the new Amgen drug and others like it will do better. "I would be happy to see it approved" on the cholesterol results alone, said Dr. Hadley Wilson, a cardiologist at Carolinas HealthCare System. "We need additional agents other than statins" to help patients, he said. Nearly all current cholesterol medicines - fibrates, niacin and top-selling statins - are decades old. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor curb cholesterol production. Zetia, which came out about a decade ago, helps block the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. The new drugs block PCSK9, a substance that interferes with the liver's ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

They have big drawbacks, though. Statins are pills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day. The new drugs are proteins rather than chemicals, and those tend to be very expensive to make. They also must be given as shots every two weeks or once a month. People can give the shots to themselves with a pen-like device. The companies developing the new medicines have not said what they might cost. "We were very, very pleased" about how well patients accepted the shots, and if they offer better results, especially for those with inherited conditions, "people will accept it," said Dr. Michael Koren of Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research in Florida, who helped lead two of the studies.

The three Amgen studies involved about 2,000 patients in all. Doctors tested the drug in people with high cholesterol not taking other medicines, as a long-term (one-year) treatment in people already taking various medications and in combination with statins and other drugs in people with an inherited cholesterol disorder. In general, side-effect rates were about the same for evolocumab vs. placebo or Zetia. In some studies, muscle aches, nausea and a few other problems were a little higher with the experimental drug. Overall safety "is very, very encouraging," said Dr. Scott Wasserman, Amgen's executive medical director.

Researchers also said:

IMO, we're too quick to shove pills down kids' (and adults') throats.

Why not just eat a healthy diet?

 

[auditor0007]

Lowers LDL or 'bad' cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent...

Studies find new drugs greatly lower cholesterol
Mar 29,`14 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new class of experimental medicines can dramatically lower cholesterol, raising hopes of a fresh option for people who can't tolerate or don't get enough help from Lipitor and other statin drugs that have been used for this for decades.

The first large studies of these drugs were presented Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Washington, and more will follow on Sunday. Several companies are developing these drugs, which are aimed at 70 million Americans and millions more worldwide who have high LDL or "bad" cholesterol, a major risk for heart disease. Three studies of Amgen Inc.'s version of these drugs, called evolocumab (ev-oh-LOKE-you-mab), found it lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent from baseline levels compared to others who took a fake drug, and by nearly that much when compared to Merck's Zetia, another cholesterol medication. As impressive as that is, it's still just part of the picture. Doctors want evidence that the way these drugs lower cholesterol also will lead to fewer heart attacks and deaths, because that proof already exists for statins. New studies are underway to test this, but Amgen said it will seek approval for its drug this year based on cholesterol-lowering alone.

That was enough to win approval for statins and Zetia, but use of Zetia has declined since 2008, when research showed it failed to help prevent heart attacks even though it cut cholesterol. Hopes are high that the new Amgen drug and others like it will do better. "I would be happy to see it approved" on the cholesterol results alone, said Dr. Hadley Wilson, a cardiologist at Carolinas HealthCare System. "We need additional agents other than statins" to help patients, he said. Nearly all current cholesterol medicines - fibrates, niacin and top-selling statins - are decades old. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor curb cholesterol production. Zetia, which came out about a decade ago, helps block the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. The new drugs block PCSK9, a substance that interferes with the liver's ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

They have big drawbacks, though. Statins are pills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day. The new drugs are proteins rather than chemicals, and those tend to be very expensive to make. They also must be given as shots every two weeks or once a month. People can give the shots to themselves with a pen-like device. The companies developing the new medicines have not said what they might cost. "We were very, very pleased" about how well patients accepted the shots, and if they offer better results, especially for those with inherited conditions, "people will accept it," said Dr. Michael Koren of Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research in Florida, who helped lead two of the studies.

The three Amgen studies involved about 2,000 patients in all. Doctors tested the drug in people with high cholesterol not taking other medicines, as a long-term (one-year) treatment in people already taking various medications and in combination with statins and other drugs in people with an inherited cholesterol disorder. In general, side-effect rates were about the same for evolocumab vs. placebo or Zetia. In some studies, muscle aches, nausea and a few other problems were a little higher with the experimental drug. Overall safety "is very, very encouraging," said Dr. Scott Wasserman, Amgen's executive medical director.

Researchers also said:

IMO, we're too quick to shove pills down kids' (and adults') throats.

Why not just eat a healthy diet?

Eat healthy and exercise; it's the two things most kids don't do. This is why we have so many fat kids and why so many of them have high cholesterol levels. This is not rocket science.

 

[Politico]

Lowers LDL or 'bad' cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent...

Studies find new drugs greatly lower cholesterol
Mar 29,`14 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A new class of experimental medicines can dramatically lower cholesterol, raising hopes of a fresh option for people who can't tolerate or don't get enough help from Lipitor and other statin drugs that have been used for this for decades.

The first large studies of these drugs were presented Saturday at an American College of Cardiology conference in Washington, and more will follow on Sunday. Several companies are developing these drugs, which are aimed at 70 million Americans and millions more worldwide who have high LDL or "bad" cholesterol, a major risk for heart disease. Three studies of Amgen Inc.'s version of these drugs, called evolocumab (ev-oh-LOKE-you-mab), found it lowered LDL or "bad" cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent from baseline levels compared to others who took a fake drug, and by nearly that much when compared to Merck's Zetia, another cholesterol medication. As impressive as that is, it's still just part of the picture. Doctors want evidence that the way these drugs lower cholesterol also will lead to fewer heart attacks and deaths, because that proof already exists for statins. New studies are underway to test this, but Amgen said it will seek approval for its drug this year based on cholesterol-lowering alone.

That was enough to win approval for statins and Zetia, but use of Zetia has declined since 2008, when research showed it failed to help prevent heart attacks even though it cut cholesterol. Hopes are high that the new Amgen drug and others like it will do better. "I would be happy to see it approved" on the cholesterol results alone, said Dr. Hadley Wilson, a cardiologist at Carolinas HealthCare System. "We need additional agents other than statins" to help patients, he said. Nearly all current cholesterol medicines - fibrates, niacin and top-selling statins - are decades old. Statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor curb cholesterol production. Zetia, which came out about a decade ago, helps block the absorption of cholesterol from the intestine. The new drugs block PCSK9, a substance that interferes with the liver's ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.

They have big drawbacks, though. Statins are pills sold as generics for as little as a dime a day. The new drugs are proteins rather than chemicals, and those tend to be very expensive to make. They also must be given as shots every two weeks or once a month. People can give the shots to themselves with a pen-like device. The companies developing the new medicines have not said what they might cost. "We were very, very pleased" about how well patients accepted the shots, and if they offer better results, especially for those with inherited conditions, "people will accept it," said Dr. Michael Koren of Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research in Florida, who helped lead two of the studies.

The three Amgen studies involved about 2,000 patients in all. Doctors tested the drug in people with high cholesterol not taking other medicines, as a long-term (one-year) treatment in people already taking various medications and in combination with statins and other drugs in people with an inherited cholesterol disorder. In general, side-effect rates were about the same for evolocumab vs. placebo or Zetia. In some studies, muscle aches, nausea and a few other problems were a little higher with the experimental drug. Overall safety "is very, very encouraging," said Dr. Scott Wasserman, Amgen's executive medical director.

Researchers also said:

IMO, we're too quick to shove pills down kids' (and adults') throats.

Why not just eat a healthy diet?

Drug em' if they talk. Give em' an Xbox so you don't have to talk to them. Give them drugs so you don't have to take the Xbox back. That's how Amurika rolls.

 

[Mr. H.]

I thought Michelle fixed this.

 

[DGS49]

I realize that this is not a "scientific" comment, but there is a popular health expert* on radio here in Pittsburgh who claims that the whole "lower cholesterol" campaign is fraudulent. And I'm inclined to believe him.

Cholesterol is a naturally-occurring chemical that is found in the bloodstream and can lead to clogged arteries, which in turn can lead to heart attacks. This tendency is almost entirely genetic, and people with a family history of such heart problems AND who have high cholesterol should take measures to reduce their cholesterol levels, if they can. Sometimes exercise works and sometimes it doesn't. It appears that some pills can help.

Cholesterol is also contained in some foods, mainly meat and eggs. But the evidence that eating those foods results in high cholesterol is sketchy at best. In fact, people on an "Atkins" diet eat mountains of cholesterol-laden foods, but their cholesterol levels generally go DOWN. When this was confirmed in the 1980's the reaction of the medical community was to ostracize Dr. Atkins for dis-proving what they had been preaching for 50 years.

Doctors have for generations told people with genetically-high cholesterol to avoid high-cholesterol foods and salt, but there is ZERO evidence that this is beneficial.

The threshholds for treatment of both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels are more geared to selling pharmaceuticals than dealing with possible artery/heart issues. Keep in mind that you are not talking about taking a pill to "cure" you of some disease. You are talking about taking a pill - talking a foreign chemical into your body every day - for the rest of your life. Think about it. If you are "borderline" do you want to get on that train?

_________________________
* Dr. James Weiner (pronounced "Whiner") is a chiropractor by education, but has grown into a holistic practitioner with almost 50 years of experience and an amazing track record of curing everything from a "bad back" to acid reflux (in one office visit) to bad attitude. He is on the air in Pittsburgh for more than 30 hours a week on various stations.

 

[auditor0007]

I thought Michelle fixed this.

Michelle fixed nothing. While her heart is in the right place, she is mostly wrong about the real problem. Yes, kids don't eat real healthy but I really don't think they ever have. The real problem is not what or how much they eat but how little they exercise.

Those who are normally considered the healthiest of our kids are involved in sports and are athletes. Any idea how much a high school athlete eats? When I was in high school, I ate a decent breakfast. At school, we had those wonderful (sarcasm) tray lunches that offered a main item like a hamburger or slice of pizza, or my favorite, a ranchburger lol, along with a fruit or salad, a carb, dessert and a carton of milk. I ate three of these per day. During cross country and track season, I would not eat again until dinner time because I had practice right after school, but during winter break my friends and I would head to Wendy's right after school for a double, fries, and a Frosty. Then at 6:00 it was time for dinner when I would eat seconds and thirds. Before heading to bed, I would eat a two or three hot dogs or a couple of sandwiches. All I did was eat in high school. During the summer, I was outside all the time riding my bike, swimming, and running. I weighed 115 lbs in high school. To this day, my weight is holding between 135 to 140, although I did hit 155 at one point. I had taken up smoking for 30 years and before quitting, I had not done much in terms of physical exercise. As soon as I quit smoking and started working out and running again, the weight came right off, and I started eating more. I don't eat nearly as much as I did when I was in high school, but I do consume between 3000 to 4000 calories per day.

Thanks to my son for the image. He's heading to Parris Island in July.

 

[Moonglow]

Love that bacon grease gravy....

 

[PredFan]

Cholesterol is not important.

The more that medical science progresses the more we realize that cholesterol is an insignificant factor. It used to be number one now its fallen to number 4 or 5 on the risk factor list, behind genetics, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking.

The healthiest diet?

Low carbohydrate.

Please pass the bacon.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Don't just stop with bacon. Put that fatty bacon on double cheeseburgers and wash it down with pepsi. Feed those kids mac and cheese and deep fried mayonnaise. There is no excuse for slender healthy kids. Let the world know this is the wealthiest country on the planet by showing off our fatty kids who can't get their over sized butts off the couch.

And by fucking god, they have every right to smoke too. Once they reach the age of 5 or so, they should be doing their part to support capitalism by buying their Marlboro reds by the carton.

Hell, maybe you can find a way to deep fry their cigarettes too.

 

[auditor0007]

Cholesterol is not important.

The more that medical science progresses the more we realize that cholesterol is an insignificant factor. It used to be number one now its fallen to number 4 or 5 on the risk factor list, behind genetics, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking.

The healthiest diet?

Low carbohydrate.

Please pass the bacon.

Too many carbs is a huge problem. Most people do not realize that carbs are turned to sugar and if not used completely for energy then the sugar turns to fat. Fat in our diets is much like everything else; in moderation it's not a problem and is in fact good for us, but too much and not so good.

 

[waltky]

Anybody know if calcium supplement for elderly increase risk of death?...

Atherosclerosis in Young Patients Increases Risk of Early Death
February 08, 2017 - A new study suggests that even small calcium deposits in the arteries of young patients can predict an early heart attack or death within a dozen years.

The study also suggests that it's easy to spot the trouble and can be a "call to action" for doctors and patients to begin taking preventive action. The cardiac study conducted at four centers in the U.S. involved 5,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 30. Jeff Carr, a radiologist and cardiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was lead author of the study.

Carr said it appears that any amount of atherosclerosis, or calcium deposits, in the cardiac arteries of young people can dramatically shorten their lives, “even if it’s just one little dot or a very low what’s called a calcium score are at markedly elevated risk. So if you have any amount of coronary calcium your risk increases over the next 10 to 15 years by about 10 percent. If you have a lot, your risk increases significantly and your chance of dying over those next years is approximately 22 percent.”

A man jogs at Pier A Park in Hoboken, New Jersey, Jan. 15, 2014. Atherosclerosis, or calcium deposits, in the cardiac arteries of young people have been found to dramatically shorten life expectancy, a new study found.​

In the study, which began in 1985, 3,300 African American and white young adults received a CT scan, looking for evidence of atherosclerosis. The remainder of the participants were followed based on known risk factors for heart attack. Atherosclerosis was seen on CT in 30 percent of those who were scanned. The study followed up after 12 years – when doctors noted the high early mortality rate in those with calcium deposits. The study was published in the journal JAMA Cardiology.

Carr said it’s not necessary to do a heart scan on everyone to project their risk of death from heart attack. He said a clinician can assess a person’s risk of an attack by doing a health profile measuring and weighing a number of risk factors. “Risk factors like blood pressure and cholesterol, even when modestly elevated in early adult life in these people at high risk, may provide opportunity to identify them and treat risk factors more aggressively, and just potentially be able to lower the risk of future heart attacks that we saw over the past 15 years in the cohort [study participants],” Carr said.

Carr said medications to lower high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol, weight loss and stopping smoking are proven to be effective in fighting heart disease. And of course a healthier diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables and less red meat, doesn’t hurt.

Atherosclerosis in Young Patients Increases Risk of Early Death