High cholesterol and triglycerides are a serious health issue. More than 100 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these Americans have high enough levels to put them at increased risk for developing heart disease. Learning the causes of elevated cholesterol and triglycerides and making changes to reduce them, may save your life.
Function
Cholesterol and triglycerides are necessary for your body to function properly. A healthy body has mechanisms to keep cholesterol and triglyceride levels in balance. Cholesterol is important to cell membrane structure, creation of bile acids and hormones, and metabolizing vitamins A, D, E and K. The watery part of the blood, or serum, transports cholesterol to the cells of the body. Most triglycerides are stored in fat cells until the body needs energy between meals. Some float through the bloodstream to provide instant energy to muscles.
Testing
A lipid panel is a laboratory test that measures serum cholesterol and triglycerides. This test should be done while the patient is fasting, which means he hasn't had anything but water to eat or drink for nine to 12 hours. Food and beverages can return falsely elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Levels
Lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides are healthiest, representing the least risk for heart disease. The healthiest level of cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL. Serum cholesterol higher than 239 is elevated. Your triglycerides should measure less than 150 mg/dL. A triglyceride level greater than 500 is very high. Triglyceride levels greater than 1,000 mg/dL increase the risk of developing pancreatitis and treatment to reduce triglycerides should begin immediately.
Cholesterol
Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol is the main reason for high cholesterol. A diet high in saturated fat, trans fats and dietary cholesterol raises the amount of cholesterol in the blood. Lack of exercise, smoking and obesity can raise cholesterol. Heredity may also be a factor.
Triglycerides
Most fat in foods and in the body is in the chemical form of triglycerides. Excess calories are stored as triglycerides. Triglyceride levels after a meal can be five to 10 times higher than before eating and remain elevated for several hours. High triglyceride levels can indicate that you have been consuming more calories than your body needs. Alcohol drastically raises triglyceride levels. Physical inactivity, smoking and obesity lead to elevated triglycerides. Medical conditions such as kidney disease, diabetes and hypothyroidism may raise triglycerides. Some medications, like those used for controlling blood pressure, may elevate triglyceride levels.
