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Statin Drugs and Children
On July 7, 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a shocking new recommendation that stated children, starting at 2 years of age and no older than 10, should routinely get their cholesterol checked — and that some children as young as 8 should be started on statin drugs to lower their cholesterol and prevent future heart disease.
In my opinion, this AAP recommendation to prescribe statin drugs for children is off base for many reasons. We do have an obesity epidemic among children, and the problem of high cholesterol in children is increasing; however, the answer should not be to prescribe medications that have not been tested in children and could cause serious side effects.
Statins are a class of drugs that act by inhibiting an enzyme (HMG-CoA reductase) that is needed for the formation of cholesterol in the liver. In the process, statins also inhibit other substances that have important functions. For example, statins interfere with the production of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a critical nutrient for cellular energy and muscle function.
Medical Myths You Can Do Without
Myth #2: Cholesterol is the Cause of Heart Disease and Statins are the Answer
Part 2 of a five-part series.
It’s hard to even start writing about this topic — there is so much misinformation out there. Let’s start with the basics. Cholesterol is a necessary part of almost all metabolic processes in the body. Without it we could not survive.
In the early 80s there were some landmark studies linking cholesterol levels to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Since then, all kinds of conclusions have been made as to what this means, what numbers are “normal”, and how those numbers change depending on your medical history.
The Safe Way to Prevent Heart Disease
Heart disease is not a disease of high cholesterol. If cholesterol were the culprit, this ubiquitous substance would clog up the entire 100,000 miles of adult veins, arteries and capillaries.
