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Kids' Cholesterol
January 31, 2008 |
During her more than 30 year run as a physical education teacher, Janet Davis has
seen the health of her student population drastically decline. “I’ve seen
an increase
in not just obesity or children overweight but the fitness level has decreased.
Overweight has become normal,” she says. Even some pediatricians in Southwest Florida
are shocked at how serious the problem is becoming. “I’m shocked every year and
younger and younger and younger we’re catching kids who are extremely overweight
in danger of having lots of long term problems,” says pediatrician Dr.Eric Jones.
Now Pediatricians are screening their young patients for problems like high blood
pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Dr. Jones says, “We screen everybody for
risk factors so family history of high cholesterol, obesity in the family, high
blood pressure. Those kinds of thinks automatically raise red flags in our heads
even if the child is not necessarily obese at the time.” If your child is at risk
for obesity related conditions, initiate a family eating plan based on recommendations
from the American Heart Association. Physicians also recommend family exercise plans
that include at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.
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