Watching your cholesterol
can save your life

Kids Stuff
By William Feldman

Welcome to Kids Stuff. Today’s column includes a dietary tip that could literally change your life for the better; a tip; and a cryptogram.
I received an e-mail from a retired school nurse who strongly suggested I write a column on "cholesterol and kids." She said she recently read an article that coronary artery disease begins during childhood. But her main reason for writing me is she sees too many parents serving fast food — burgers and pizzas — for lunch and dinner, especially during the summer months. She hopes this article will change the habit of at least one family. She also emphasized that parents should consult their kids’ doctors before starting any type of food/dietary modification to make sure it will not affect their nutritional intake.
Over the past few years in school, we have learned about cholesterol and the damage it can cause in adults, but what about kids? Well, I did a little research through various sites and used some of the health notes I was given. This is what I found:
I will start this column by defining cholesterol. Cholesterol is necessary for life. It is a building block for hormones and a component of cell membranes. The goal of treating patients with high blood cholesterol levels is not to eliminate cholesterol from the blood, but to achieve a safe level. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is made by the body’s liver.
It is an organic compound composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. It is a naturally occurring substance found in all foods derived from animals, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs and dairy products.
High cholesterol comes from diet, heredity and obesity (overweight). Unsaturated fats are found in fish and plant food. This is further broken down into monounsaturated and polyunsaturated.
Doctors generally recommend that total blood cholesterol be below 170 mg/dl for ages 2 to 19. If an initial blood test shows a high total cholesterol level, the next step is to do a more detailed analysis to determine the balance of LDLs and HDLs. This is called a lipid profile, which is generally done after a 10- to 12-hour period without any food or drinks. When your doctor obtains a fasting lipid profile, your results are generally presented as total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL and LDL cholesterol (in some instances you will get a VLDL level as well).
Total cholesterol is a measurement reflecting the presence of three particles in the blood:
o High density lipoprotein (HDL)
o Low density lipoprotein (LDL)
o Very low density lipoprotein (VLDL)
Why treat high cholesterol in children?
Evidence points out that adult cholesterol levels start during childhood and teenage years and can cause heart disease or heart attacks when older. The first step in treatment of high cholesterol is to set attainable goals for your child and your family.
The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends dietary modifications as a primary treatment for anyone with elevated cholesterol. Initial dietary guidelines to lower your blood cholesterol are outlined below:
o Total fat in the diet should be reduced to no more than 30 percent of your calories. Total fat consists of all the fats you eat regardless of the type.
An average child should take in about 1500 to 2400 calories per day, depending on age and activity level, which would translate to approximately 50 to 80 grams of total fat per day.
One Web site made a very prominent observational note and I wanted to include it in this column, too. NOTE: Be careful to look at labels for total fat content. Avoid choosing foods that are simply labeled "cholesterol free," because a product can be cholesterol-free and still be very high in fat. Dietary fat can be converted to cholesterol in our bodies.
o Saturated fats have been shown to elevate blood cholesterol levels. They are mainly found in animal products — any meat, poultry or fish and anything that comes from an animal such as dairy products.
Plant oils that are high in saturated fats include coconut, palm, and palm kernel oils. Saturated fats need not be eliminated from the diet, but they should be limited to less than 10 percent of your calories.
o Dietary cholesterol should be no more than 200 to 300 mg per day. Cholesterol ONLY comes from animal sources and is never found in vegetable products. Remember to look at fat and saturated fat contents as well as cholesterol contents.
o Fiber should be included daily. It is recommended that we get 25 to 30 grams of fiber per day. Fiber can act like a sponge in taking some of the fat out of the body without letting it get absorbed into the bloodstream.
o Simple sugars should be limited, especially if triglyceride levels are high.
Triglyceride levels may be affected by the sugar content of the diet as well as by the fat content. Regular soft drinks and other sugar sweetened beverages can be especially troublesome.
Regarding dietary goals for children, special "diet" foods are not necessary to meet these goals. A complete, low-fat diet is considered safe for children over age 2 and can be easily achieved through consumption of "normal" foods, but you should still consult your child’s doctor.
It is important to know that even though you may be purchasing all fat-free products, this does not mean they are calorie-free, and they still need to be limited in quantity.
Easy tip for keeping kids’ cholesterol levels down: Encourage the whole family to participate in dietary modification.

AMERICAN IDOL AUDITIONS
In case you hadn’t heard, Philadelphia is the final stop in a series of seven audition cities across the nation to find the next American Idol. Auditions will be at the Wachovia Center on Monday, Aug. 27. The seventh season of American Idol premieres in January on FOX.
Auditions will be open to men and women ages 16 to 28 and eligible to work in the United States. Additional information on wristbands and the lineup for the Wachovia Center auditions will be released shortly. Additional rules and regulations are available at www.AmericanIdol.com

CRYPTOGRAM
BNCB RBDSFHAFUDS NH EGW IDU TDKU BFGSAB

Hints: B is H; D is O; U is R; R is C
Answer to last week’s cryptogram: DO NOT FALL UNDER PEER PRESSURE; BE YOURSELF
Columnist William Feldman can be contacted by e-mail at wmkidscolumn@aol.com