GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a recommendation for kids at high risk for early heart disease to be put on high-powered statin drugs to lower their cholesterol. But is it safe?

Fourteen-year-old J.P. Silvestri is a sailor at heart, but it's that very same heart he and his family worry about.

"At age two, his LDLs were 194, and his total cholesterol was 244," mother Stacy Silvestri told Ivanhoe.

Normal LDL levels for a two-year-old are less than 110 and total cholesterol -- less than 170. J.P. isn't overweight, but he has a family history of heart disease. His dad has high cholesterol, and his grandfather died from it. By age 10, J.P.'s parents had put him on a statin, a cholesterol-lowering drug typically used by adults. As the numbers of obese and overweight children soar, more are using statins. Doctors are at odds whether or not it's the best choice.

"I think it's a good thing," Janet Silverstein, M.D., chief of pediatric endocrinology at the University of Florida, told Ivanhoe. "We now know that if we don't intervene with these children, these high risk children are really at risk for early heart disease."

But not all doctors agree.

"I don't agree with the recommendation of the American Pediatric Association to do a band-aid and to fix just the cholesterol; but I recommend a total lifestyle change for the family," Marc Rose, M.D., an ophthalmologist at VitalCare Diabetes Treatment Centers in Costa Mesa, Calif., told Ivanhoe.
 

There are no long-term studies on the effects of statins in children. In adults, they can cause nausea, kidney failure, muscle weakness, mental confusion, liver damage and amnesia. But some kids -- like J.P. -- can't afford to wait for results of a study.

"If it can save him from having heart disease in his 20s, 30s or 40s, then it's the right thing to do" Stacy said.

J.P.'s LDL levels are now down to 116. His total cholesterol is 140. He's had no side effects, but still worries.

"If I don't eat healthy and take my medicines, I have a chance of having a heart attack," J.P. Silvestri told Ivanhoe.

But for now, it's smooth sailing.

To keep your child's cholesterol levels in check, offer proteins such as salmon, beans, tofu and trout instead of red meat. Almonds are also good for lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol.