Diet and Lipid-Lowering Nutraceuticals in Pediatric Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Abstract

Familial hypercholesterolemia is a genetically determined disease characterized by elevated plasma total and LDL cholesterol levels from the very first years of life, leading to early atherosclerosis. Nutritional intervention is the first-line treatment, complemented with nutraceuticals and drug therapy when necessary. Nutraceuticals with a lipid-lowering effect have been extensively studied in the past few decades, and have been recently included in international guidelines as a complement to nutritional and pharmacological treatment in subjects with dyslipidemia. In this review, we explore current nutritional interventions for dyslipidemia in childhood, with a specific focus on the main nutraceuticals studied for treating severe dyslipidemia in pediatric patients. Additionally, we briefly describe their primary mechanisms of action and highlight the advantages and risks associated with the use of lipid-lowering nutraceuticals in childhood.

Cholesterol-Lowering Bioactive Foods and Nutraceuticals in Pediatrics: Clinical Evidence of Efficacy and Safety

“…The European Atherosclerosis Society Consensus Panel recommended that functional foods containing phytosterols to be considered for children with familial hypercholesterolemia, and as dietary additive supplementation rather than independent pharmaceutical treatment, especially with lifestyle modification [113,114]. Despite the limitation on the available evidence of dyslipidemia in pediatric age group, guidelines and evidence suggest that nutraceuticals, particularly fibers and phytosterols, can be utilized when combined with appropriate diet in children with genetic dyslipidemias starting from the age of 6 years old [10,115].…”