ATLANTA (August 7, 2012)-A big government study shows that in the last decade, the percentage of children who have high cholesterol levels has fallen and some experts were a little surprised by the findings.

High cholesterol is often linked to obesity, and the childhood obesity rate hasn't budged.

Experts think that the cholesterol-raising trans fat content of many foods has declined in the last decade, and that may be the reason levels have dropped in children.

The study by government researchers was released online Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.