Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs for Children?

An excellent article, 8-Year-Olds on Statins? A New Plan Quickly Bites Back, appeared in the New York Times on July 8th.

The author, Tara Parker-Pope, covered the current debate on the rather extreme recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics that children with high cholesterol be given cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins. The debate includes a number of pediatricians at notable hospitals who vehemently oppose the idea based on safety concerns, lack of historical data for this age group, and lack of overall data for the drugs.

The entire article is definitely worth reading if your child does have high cholesterol. In the meantime, try our Montessori curriculum newsletters for ideas to keep your child fit, healthy, and active during the entire school year!