Best Ways to Reduce Cholesterol in Children

Cholesterol in the bloodstream is necessary, regardless of age, and is used to produce cell membranes and some vital hormones. Although cholesterol is necessary, too much cholesterol can form fatty deposits that decrease blood flow to the heart and brain. Cardiovascular disease often is rooted in childhood even though heart attacks and stroke do not occur until later in life.

Factors in Childhood Cholesterol

• Three factors contribute to cholesterol levels: diet, heredity and obesity. The only uncontrollable contributing factor is heredity. Children who are at risk for high cholesterol should be screened as early as the age of two and no later than 10. Cholesterol in children and teens is considered high when its level is above 200 and LDL cholesterol is 130 or higher.

Diet

• A diet high in saturated and trans fats increases cholesterol. The body receives all the cholesterol it needs from the liver. All additional cholesterol comes from food.

  A diet rich in fiber lowers cholesterol. To determine how many grams of fiber a child older than two years should eat daily is to add 5 to the child's age in years. Adolescents, older than 15, are advised to consume above 25 grams. For children older than two and adolescents, daily cholesterol intake should be less than 3,000 milligrams, with only 7 percent of fat coming from saturated fats and less than 1 percent coming from trans fat.

  By following the food tips below, a decrease in cholesterol level should follow.

  • Eat lean meats or alternatives such as legumes, fish and tofu or soy products.
  • Eat fiber. High fiber foods include: whole-grain breads and cereals, apples, oranges, bananas, berries, prune, pears, green peas, legumes, artichokes and almonds.
  • Limit dietary fat intake to 30-35 percent for two- and three-year-olds and between 25 and 35 percent for children older than four.
  • Avoid solid fats.
  • Limit prepared baked goods.
  • Drink low-fat or nonfat dairy products and milk.
  • Avoid added sugar.

Weight Control

• Being overweight raises a child's chance of having higher cholesterol. Put more fiber in a child's diet, and decrease fats. The entire family should be committed to the child's weight loss, which requires behavior change, education, and support.

Exercise

• Daily exercise will reduce cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol. HDL is the good cholesterol found in the body that carries cholesterol away from the arteries to the liver and removes excess cholesterol from the arterial plaque.