A new study has found that approximately 200,000 U.S. teenagers and preteens need medication to lower their cholesterol.

The research, published in Circulation, found 5.2 to 6.6 percent of adolescents had high LDL cholesterol with more than 10 percent of the participants with high total cholesterol.

"What I think is most important here is that given the rise in childhood obesity and risk factors such as smoking and lack of exercise that adolescents are exposed to, we need to continually assess and monitor the lipid status of children and adolescents," said Dr. Earl S. Ford, lead author of the study and medical officer in the United States Public Health Service.

According to the study, girls had a higher total cholesterol levels when compared to boys, with the increases starting to appear close to age 14.

High cholesterol, if left untreated, can lead to serious conditions such as heart disease. Parents who are concerned about their children taking cholesterol-lowering medication may want to investigate nutritional supplements as a healthy alternative.