Factors Affecting the Stability of Blood Lipid and Lipoprotein Levels From Youth to Adulthood

Abstract

Main Outcome Measures: Child and adult blood lipid levels. Results: Using established cut points, we found that substantial proportions of individuals with high-risk blood lipid and lipoprotein levels at baseline no longer had high

Association of Non–High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Measured in Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Mid-Adulthood With Coronary Artery Calcification Measured in Mid-Adulthood

“…Moreover, shorter (2-year) family-based interventions may also be effective, as highlighted by findings from the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) study, in which individuals receiving physical activity and dietary interventions saw reductions in LDL-C levels compared with controls. These data align with our previous work showing that body mass index may be a key determinant of lipid and lipoprotein tracking . That is, favorable changes in body mass index have the potential to shift individuals with high-risk lipid and lipoproteins levels to low risk .…”

“…These data align with our previous work showing that body mass index may be a key determinant of lipid and lipoprotein tracking . That is, favorable changes in body mass index have the potential to shift individuals with high-risk lipid and lipoproteins levels to low risk . Altogether, both genetic and lifestyle factors likely determine an individual’s lipid levels throughout life, although only the latter is modifiable.…”

Adult dyslipidemia prediction is improved by repeated measurements in childhood and young adulthood. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

“…Another limitation is that we only used a single measurement in adulthood as the outcome. The reduced tracking of lipid levels may be due to positive (or negative) changes in lifestyle habits between childhood and adulthood [33]. Our data support an emphasis on lifestyle modification after the first documentation of abnormal lipids in childhood and young adulthood, when there is an opportunity to get more children and young adults adopting healthier lifestyles.…”

Assessing Screening Policies for Childhood Obesity

“…Rather, in our view, the results suggest that policymakers in this area need to more clearly articulate and justify their rationale for screening and treating children between the ages of 2 and 12. While other arguments may exist that do not rely solely on BMI reduction—e.g., the social and psychological effects of childhood obesity, the possibility that younger children may have higher treatment compliance than older adolescents (sensitivity analysis in (13) provides a rough assessment of such an argument: the reduction in BMI due to treatment for children ages 6–10 needs to be 60% higher than our estimates, with no change for children ages 12–16, in order for the biennial USPSTF policy to achieve the same performance as the optimal policy), that treatment for younger children also instills other good lifestyle choices, such as not smoking, that provide benefits later in life (21), that the act of screening itself signals to the patient and parent the importance of this health indicator, or even the simplicity of the proposed guidelines—a persuasive rationale has yet to be made.…”