One in five teens at risk of heart disease due to high cholesterol

One in five teens at risk of heart disease due to high cholesterol: One out of every five US teenagers has a cholesterol level that increases the risk of heart disease, federal health officials reported, providing striking new evidence that obesity is making more children prone to illnesses once primarily limited to adults. A nationally representative survey of blood test results in American teenagers found that more than 20% of those ages 12 to 19 had at least one abnormal level of fat. The rate jumped to 43% among those adolescents who were obese. CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Jan 21, 2010