THURSDAY, July 17 (HealthDay News) -- For babies ready to graduate from breast milk or formula to cow's milk, the longstanding recommendation has been that they receive whole milk, instead of reduced-fat or fat-free milk.

I was really shocked to read about how young kids are being put on cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, based on new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The scary thing to me is how these drugs have barely been tested in kids. So far, five different statin drugs have been approved for use in children, and yet these kinds of drugs have only been tested for a period of two years in a small group of children who had a genetic defect that caused high cholesterol. There's absolutely no long-term data.

CHICAGO - For the first time, an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as 8 be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems.

It is the strongest guidance ever given on the issue by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which released its new guidelines Monday. The academy also recommends low-fat milk for 1-year-olds and wider cholesterol testing.

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