Bengal has the highest proportion of children aged 5-9 years with high triglycerides, a whopping 67%, followed by northeastern states of Sikkim (64.6%), Assam (57%), Nagaland (55.5%) and Manipur (54.7%), as per a report, Children in India, 2025, released on Thursday. Interestingly, the state with the lowest proportion of 5-9-year-old children with high triglycerides was Kerala (16.6%).
The proportion was much lower among adolescents in the 10-19 years age group. In India, just 16% in this age group had high triglycerides and less than 4% had high LDL. In this age group, Goa and Kerala had the highest proportion, 15.3% and 14.9%, respectively, of children with high LDL. Bengal had the highest proportion (42.5%) with high triglycerides in this age group too, followed by Sikkim (39.4%) and Manipur (38%) while Maharashtra had the lowest (6.4%). High LDL cholesterol is bad for children under 10 as it could lead to gradual build-up of plaque on the artery walls causing atherosclerosis and narrowing of arteries which could lead to heart disease and stroke later in life. High LDL is also bad for the same reason and if these are not detected early and interventions such as dietary changes are not initiated, it could cause serious health complications.
