SPOTLIGHT: Should we put kids on cholesterol-fighting drugs?
A new recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics that children as young as 8 years old use cholesterol-fighting statin drugs has ignited a firestorm of controversy in the medical profession. Some doctors--including those on the AAP's committee that issued the recommendation--say that there's enough data to justify the recommendation, which could slow the progression of heart disease in high-risk children. Others, however, say that there's too little evidence to prescribe these drugs to children safely. Article
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By Narayanachar Murali | Posted 8:37pm | July 8, 2008
Stop feeding them chicken nuggetts and Burittos.
Cut out the mid day meal and add a mandatory 1 hour mass PT for the whole school. I have yet to see a child dying of hunger in schools across the US. The responsibility of feeding properly is upon people who bear children.
Cities should make bike friendly paths for kids to go to school the old fashioned way.
I just returned from a cruise. So many times when I went in to take a bite I did not need I wondered if only they charged a small fee for each item in the buffet, half the people would be out of the dining hall!
Free anything is bad. It corrupts the mind and body. Statins do not cure sloth....
By anne | Posted 11:47pm | July 8, 2008
Dr. Murali:
I respect your perspective, but that being said, wasn't the advice on statins regarding only children with high-risk conditions?
I don't think that the AAP was recommending that all overweight (or otherwis) children get statins, just those children with heart conditions.
However, I'm honestly guessing, as I had difficulty finding the policy statement on the AAP's site. Have you seen it?
-Anne Zieger, Editor
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