Adults are not the only people affected by high cholesterol. Children may also have high levels of cholesterol, which can lead to heart diseases when the child gets older. Too much cholesterol leads to the build-up of plaque on the walls of the arteries, which supply blood to the heart and other organs. Plaque can narrow the arteries and block the blood flow to the heart, causing heart problems and stroke.
Believe it or not, cholesterol plaque deposition in arteries starts right from childhood. It grows slowly and silently. However the speed of deposition mainly depends upon one's family history and lifestyle. Though, the symptoms are visible after 40's or may be earlier in some cases. But this is true that the cholesterol plaque deposition in arteries starts right from childhood.
The big question is why this deposition starts so early in the age of innocence? Cholesterol levels in children are mostly linked to three risk factors: Heredity, Obesity and Diet.
The parents who have a history of high cholesterol/ heart ailments must get their children tested for cholesterol regularly to monitor the same. American Heart Association recommends screening of child immediately after he/she is two years old if the parents have medical history of heart diseases. In normal cases, as recommended by American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), children should be screened once between the ages of 9 and 11 years and again between 17 and 21 years to keep a check on cholesterol levels.
Due to the growing epidemic of obesity these days, weight management at an early age is equally important by following exercise routine such as walking, running, swimming, biking or aerobics etc. along with switching over to a healthy diet.
Since arteries blockage is irreversible and there is no medicine available which could remove cholesterol plaque deposition from arteries, the only solution is surgical intervention. So it is better to be preventive.
The right choice of cooking oil at a very early stage can retard cholesterol plaque deposition. But the market is flooded with heart friendly cooking oils and we are confused on which one to use?
Recently, a unique cooking oil known as "Rice Bran Oil" has been catching the attention of the scientific community world over. India is importing variety oils including Palm Oil, Soyabean Oil, Canola Oil, Olive Oil to meet its requirement and spending over Rs. 60,000 crores worth of foreign currency every year on import of edible oils. However Rice Bran Oil is one such oil which is being exported from India to developed countries such as USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Netherland, UK, Italy, Spain, Germany, Israel, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Yemen, Pakistan, Sri Lanka etc. which is a testimony to the health virtues of this unique cooking oil.
Rice Bran Oil is extracted from the oily layer of brown rice called rice bran. Several international scientific studies have confirmed that Rice bran oil has better cholesterol lowering properties than popular Olive oil and even Canola oil. This has been attributed to a unique natural anti-oxidant called "Oryzanol” present only in rice bran oil. Some clinical studies conducted in Japan have shown that using Refined Rice Bran Oil which provides intake of 300 mg of Oryzanol daily can manage cholesterol deposition in our arteries and thereby save us from heart diseases.
Unlike other cooking oils, Rice Bran Oil can be used regularly without change as it provides ideal proportion of different types of fats even as a single oil. And the best part is that you don't need to compromise on taste to eat healthy as its high smoke point also lets you enjoy the natural flavours of the food you cook. So guard your heart’s health with rice bran oil.