It might well be that doctors’ attempt to reduce obesity rates is reaching exceptional measures. Doctors are now debating tests for high cholesterol in kids. And with so many fast-foods, high sugar sodas and limited healthy food at hand, high cholesterol in kids is a major risk.

Childhood obesity is a major health care issue in today’s United States. There’s no more hiding around the finger: most of the food, sweets, sodas and snacks kids today have access to and are prompted to buy by ads is not healthy.  Doctors are now debating whether it’s a good idea or not to test all kids in the United States for high cholesterol.

While medicine reads the best treatment is prevention, many doctors feel that testing all kids for high cholesterol is a bit too much. New criticism against the proposal was published earlier this week in journal Pediatrics. Doctors now argue the panel in favor of testing kids for high cholesterol is influenced by drug makers and is looking to medicate children that might not need it.

Authors Dr. Thomas Newman, former Food and Drug Administration pediatrics advisory committee member, Dr. Mark Pletcher and Dr. Stephen Hulley (both heart disease researchers) are strongly against the high cholesterol test for all kids. They argue the early tests won’t prevent the kids from developing heart problems as they age. Moreover, the national testing would cost too much and could develop anxiety in children who don’t actually need treatment for high cholesterol.

But when looking at today’s data, the panel’s suggestion to test all kids for high cholesterol makes sense. Data reads a minimum of 10 percent of children in United States have been found to have high cholesterol in their blood. Another one third is already overweight or obese. With that in mind, it does make sense to test U.S. children for high cholesterol even earlier than age 9.

While Monday’s new criticism against nation-wide testing argues against statin use in children, the panel’s guidelines read a different version of treatment. To begin with, experts in the panel recommend children tested with high cholesterol levels in their blood should start dieting and exercising.