Low Cholesterol in Kids Linked to School Trouble
(NY, Reuters Health, 4/20/05)

Dr. Jian Zhang of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and team, analyzed data that had been gathered from participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The team studied 4,852 children, aged 6 to 16 years, reviewing the subjects’ total cholesterol levels, their histories of being suspended or expelled from school, and the mothers’ input on their children's problems with getting along. The investigators found a link between low cholesterol levels and the likelihood of being suspended from school. These results suggest that low cholesterol may be a marker for the predisposition for aggressive behavior, possibly because of the role that serum cholesterol plays in a child’s neurodevelopment. It is also possible that being suspended may produce post-traumatic stress disorder, which can result in a cholesterol reduction.

(American Journal of Epidemiology, April 1, 2005)