Never2early.org - For Parents and Families

For Parents & Families

The Heart of the Matter: Do you really know how healthy your child’s diet is? Whether your child is slender or overweight, active or a couch potato, your child may be developing risk factors for heart disease that may not show up until later in life.

Things you may have heard are true. Heart disease is a major national health concern. It is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, heart disease claims more American lives every year than the next five leading causes of death combined.

Sadly, its roots can begin in childhood. Many adults, parents included, don’t even realize that heart disease actually starts developing early in life. Compelling research has shown that fat begins building up in the walls of the arteries (known as arteriosclerosis) during childhood. In fact, fatty buildup has been identified in the hearts of very young children.

Diet is one of the key lifestyle factors that can be controlled when it comes to reducing heart disease risk. Children need to eat a heart healthy diet, --and health experts agree that anyone aged two and older should limit how much saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol they eat.

Many children already have one or more risk factors for heart disease including high cholesterol levels, obesity, low physical activity levels, and smoking. Leading health organizations agree that starting at age two everyone should follow the following heart-healthy diet and lifestyle recommendations.

Keep Cholesterol in Check: Having high blood cholesterol is one of the main risk factors for heart disease. Research has shown that children and teens with high cholesterol levels during childhood are at higher risk to have high cholesterol levels as adults. Population studies have shown that many children and teens already have high cholesterol levels in addition to high LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, putting them at an increased risk for heart disease.

Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet: Research confirms that diet can affect your family’s cholesterol levels. According to studies, the majority of children (including preschoolers) are eating too much fat and saturated fat, and too few fruits and vegetables. And nearly half of teens eat more than the recommended level of dietary cholesterol each day. Research also suggests that making even simple changes in the diet can make a difference in lowering cholesterol levels and an even bigger difference in their risk of heart disease. Leading health organizations recommend that children over the age of two eat a diet that is low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol and contains plenty of fruits and vegetables. For a list of specific recommendations on how to improve your family’s diet, click here.

Avoid Obesity: If you take the steps above “to heart,” you can help reduce the likelihood your child will be obese, a condition that can also increase the risk of heart disease. Childhood obesity is on the rise, according to national surveys. Obese children are more at risk for developing diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels than normal weight children. One study found that overweight children are nearly two and a half times more likely to have high cholesterol levels. Research also has found that treating obesity in childhood can reduce heart disease in adulthood.

Be Physically Active: Friday night at home watching movies with popcorn is a great way to bring the family together but why not get up on your feet and make it a bowling night? Inactivity increases the risk for developing stroke, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, low HDL “good” cholesterol levels and heart disease. In fact, not being physically active can contribute to heart disease risk as much as having high blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure or smoking. One study estimated that close to half of high school students do not take physical education classes. Of the students that do take physical education classes, only about one-third say they are actually active for 20 minutes. In addition, the amount of high school students who choose to participate in leisure physical activity has decreased substantially. The American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents participate in at least one hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. For the American Heart Association's recommendations for physical activity, click here.

Don’t Smoke: While most adults know that smoking is bad for them, teens don’t seem to get the message or they just don’t care. Studies show that cigarette smoking among high schoolers is on the rise. What they don’t know is that cigarette smoking can cause fat to buildup in the arteries. In addition, smoking increases blood pressure, makes it harder for you to exercise, and increases the tendency that blood will clot. Because of this increase in smoking among youth, the American Heart Association urges schools to be tobacco-free.