RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- About 44 percent of Brazilian children aged between two and 19 years old suffer from high cholesterol, and 50 percent have a high level of triglyceride, according to a study published Sunday.

    The study by the University of Campinas (Unicamp) was conducted on nearly 2,000 minors in a hospital in the city of Campinas located in Sao Paulo. In the study, researchers measured and recorded cholesterol and triglyceride level in the blood samples in the last eight years.

    The results are a parameter for the analysis of the Brazilian population, specially those in big cities, according to local media.

    Emotional stress, unsuitable alimentation and the genetic predisposition are causes of the abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood, said Professor Eliana Cotta de Faria of the Medical Sciences Faculty of the Unicamp.

    "The worst is that high cholesterol and triglyceride levels can result in cardiovascular diseases," Faria added.

    "What caught our attention is that the causes of the high lipidlevel in the blood of those children are different. We have children with genetic diseases, with bad feeding habits and sedentary, and with liver and kidney diseases," Faria said, "the age and the gender have no impact on the results."

    "Enough exercises and a healthy diet are important for people to maintain a proper cholesterol level," Faria suggested, noting that "The families have responsibilities to offer their children various foods with fruits, vegetables, fiber and natural juices."