Experts disagree on screening children for a disorder tied to high cholesterol

One in 500 kids has an inherited disorder that causes high levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol that may require medication to control. However, since the problem doesn’t create observable symptoms, as many as half of these kids don’t know they have the condition. To help identify these children, late last year an expert panel convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommended ...

Natural trans fat may not boost "bad" cholesterol

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The artificial trans fats that once abounded in processed foods have become notorious for their undesirable effects on cholesterol levels. But a small clinical trial suggests that natural trans fats may not do the same damage. When 61 healthy women followed a diet with a hefty dose of natural trans fats for four weeks, researchers found there were no changes in the ...

Americans' Trans Fat Levels Dropped Over Last Decade: Report

The amount of trans-fatty acid -- also known as trans fat, which raises levels of "bad" cholesterol" and lowers levels of "good" cholesterol -- has decreased in the blood of the U.S. population over the last decade, according to a new government report.

Toddler’s rare condition highlights need for universal cholesterol screening in kids

When Kennedi Thompson developed white, raised bumps on her skin, her parents initially thought she was having an allergic reaction. It turned out the bumps were a sign of dangerously high cholesterol for the toddler. Kennedi was just two years old when she was diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia

As Trans Fats Left Food Supply, Levels in the Body Dropped

Trans fats raise levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol while lowering levels of "good" HDL cholesterol.