Federal health officials recommend cholesterol testing for children

Wall Street Journal: Panel Urges Cholesterol Testing For Kids
Government health experts recommended Friday that all children be tested for high cholesterol before they reach puberty, in an effort to get an early start in preventing cardiovascular disease. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute said a child's first cholesterol check should occur between ages 9 and 11 and the test should be repeated between ages 17 and 21. The American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed the guideline (Winslow and Corbett Dooren, 11/12).

Los Angeles Times: Children Should Be Screened For Cholesterol, Panel Says
Although children typically don't have heart attacks and strokes, evidence has been mounting for years that the roots of those diseases begin early in life, and the rising rates of obesity have only fueled the risk. That means doctors should start looking for signs of future heart disease in all kids, said the authors of a report sponsored by the federal government (Roan, 11/11). 

The Washington Post: Children 9 To 11 Should Have Cholesterol Tested, Report Says
But the new recommendation, based on an exhaustive review of the latest research, immediately came under criticism from some. Nortin M. Hadler, a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said he had "grave reservations" about the new recommendation. Elevated cholesterol levels do not necessarily lead to heart disease, he noted (Stein, 11/11).