The American Academy of Pediatrics’ decision to change its guidelines regarding children and cholesterol-lowering drugs, also know as statins, has sparked controversy over the drugs’ safety when used in children.

On Monday, the AAP recommended testing of overweight kids or those with a family history of heart for high cholesterol at age two, and prescribing statins, if deemed appropriate, as early as age eight.

Previous guidelines, updated in 1998, recommended screening of children having a family history of heart problems or rare, inherited cholesterol disorders, after the age 10, especially if they fail to lose weight.

Dr. Stephen Daniels of the AAP’s nutrition committee told the Associated Press that prescribing statins in early childhood “can have an impact on what happens later in life…and avoid some of these heart attacks and strokes in adulthood.”

However, using statins to lower the “bad” cholesterol levels in early childhood is not the best solution, experts say. And not because statins would not be efficient. Previous studies have revealed that statins are safe when used in adults, but there is no scientific evidence to support they are safe when used in children that young.

“Dr. Beatrice A. Golomb, a cholesterol expert at UC San Diego said statins’ risks and benefits are not known yet. “ We don’t really know the impact of long-term use,” she said, according to the Los Angeles Times. Therefore, such a decision as the one made by the AAP is questionable.

A British Heart Foundation’s representative said that statins should be considered only after adopting a diet and regular exercise failed to improve cholesterol levels, the BBC reported.

Some experts fear that the AAP’s recommendations would lead to using statins in children with only moderately high cholesterol levels. Some others questioned whether the AAP changed its guidelines being influenced by companies that make statins.

However, the AAP denied the accusations in a statement saying, “there is no involvement by any commercial entity in the development of any statement or report emanating from the AAP.”

The AAP also noted the subsequent increasing risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in older children and adults which results from childhood obesity, which made it update its guidelines.

Moreover, around 30 percent of American children are overweight, exposing themselves to risks of cardiovascular disease, with a higher prevalence in men.