High cholesterol: children and adolescents with the problem are growing up

UFMG Study Shows 27.4% of Brazilian Children and Adolescents Have High Total Cholesterol Levels

At the age of 3, little Luan Matos, from Diamantina, interior of Minas Geraiswas diagnosed with an “old man” disease: the level of cholesterol his was higher than expected. Six years after his diagnosis, the boy’s mother, Delis Matos, 29, has not only learned to cope with her son’s illness, but she is also suggesting healthier meals for other families in the same situation.

She is part of the group “Mothers of Children with High Cholesterol and Triglycerides” on Facebook, which already has more than 2,400 members. According to a study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), more than a quarter of Brazilian children and adolescents (27.4%) have high levels of total cholesterol and practically one in five (19.2%) have changes in LDL, popularly called “bad cholesterol”.

The data comes from a major study review that selected 47 studies from all regions of the country, with children and young people aged 2 to 19 years, and is based on parameters from the Brazilian Society of Cardiology (SBC). According to Gerson Luiz Bredt Junior, physician and board member of SBC, in the long run, high blood cholesterol levels tend to cause fatty plaques in the veins – which, in turn, can cause heart attacks or one cerebrovascular accident (stroke)For example.

“We’re used to heart attacks at 60, 70, because you start having high cholesterol at 40. However, what we see today is heart attacks earlier and earlier: high cholesterol starting at age 10 can cause a heart attack at 25. 30. But now the number of 5-year-olds is on the rise, which can lead to a heart attack even before the age of 20, he says.

Among the reasons for the rise, experts say, are an increasingly unhealthy diet, with a high consumption of ultra-processed foods (such as biscuits, chocolate, frozen foods, etc.) and a sedentary lifestyle. Genetic factors also have a large influence: with greater longevity among those predisposed to heart attacks and strokes, this genetic profile also appears more frequently in society.

How to identify hypercholesterolemia?

There are two types of cholesterol, measured in routine blood tests: LDL extension (Low Density Lipoprotein, or low density fat protein, in free translation), or “bad cholesterol”; and the HDL extension (High Density Lipoprotein, or high density fatty protein, in free translation), or “good cholesterol”. The sum of both is total cholesterol.

As stated by Sonir Roberto Rauber Antonini, president of the Department of Pediatrics of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology (SBE), a total cholesterol higher than 170 mg/dL in adults is already a warning sign and higher than 200 mg/dL is considered very high. In children, these values ​​are lower: a total cholesterol of less than 130 mg/dL is desired. Over 150 mg/dL is already considered too high.

In specific terms, he points out that a child with LDL cholesterol above 70 mg/dL is already worrying, but the greatest risk is if the level is above 100 mg/dL. “If the child has very low HDL cholesterol, that’s bad, because he doesn’t have some kind of protection. Now, if you add high LDL to that, the equation is very bad: it’s a disease called hypercholesterolemia,” he explains.

In the case of children, another scenario must also be taken into account: the metabolic syndrome. In these cases, the child usually has high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol, and may or may not have high LDL cholesterol. Here too it is common to perceive overweight.

Does food alone cause high cholesterol?

Antonini defends that only 20-30% of the cholesterol level in the blood is subject to modification only with the foodbut most refer to genetic conditions AND family heritage. “It’s crucial to highlight familial hypercholesterolemia, which is caused by a genetic defect in the place where cholesterol has to bind to the LDL receptor. In this case, food helps a little, but it’s not enough without medication,” he says.

The doctor also says that the increase in life expectancy may explain the increase in cases. “A person who suffered a heart attack 40 or 50 years ago would have died. Today he survives, has children, grandchildren and will pass on this genetic tendency,” says the cardiologist.

Yet, a healthy diet, combined with physical activity, even in people with normal cholesterol levels, already reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Therefore, Delis shares the recipes she started preparing for her son Luan with her colleagues in the Facebook group.

Now 9 years old, the only son of the Minas Gerais woman has no access to fatty and ultra-processed foods at home and often consumes fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread. “In the beginning it was very difficult to get him to eat better, my luck is that he is not a big fan of sweets and cakes. There are always people who offer (less healthy foods) and he denies it, or at least proves it,” she says.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.