Low cholesterol and antisocial behaviour in children
In the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) conducted in the USA between 1988 and 1994, blood cholesterol levels were measured in 4,852 children aged 6-16 years.[1]
Psychosocial development was evaluated by interviewing the mother regarding her child's history of school suspension or expulsion and how they got along with others.
What the survey showed was that children whose cholesterol concentration was below 3.77 mmol/L (145 mg/dL) were almost three times more likely to have been suspended or expelled from schools than their peers with higher cholesterol levels. They also were more likely to be shy when meeting new persons, have difficulty getting
along with others, and to have been seen by a psychologist.
In summary the authors say: "this study reports a statistically significant association between school suspension or expulsion and low total cholesterol among non-African-American children and
adolescents from a multiethnic national sample. The finding corroborates and extends the existing literature linking low total cholesterol and aggressive behaviors in adults. Low cholesterol may be a risk factor for aggressive behavior, a risk marker for other biologic substances or genotypes that predispose to such behavior, or a biologic marker for poor prognosis.
Reference
1. Zhang J, et al. Association of Serum Cholesterol and History of School Suspension among School-age Children and Adolescents in the United States. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 161:691-699.
Last updated: 1 December 2011
