Cholesterol and triglycerides are two different types of lipids that travel in your bloodstream; when either is too high, it is a significant risk factor in the development of heart disease. However, while having too much of one form of cholesterol is considered bad, another form is good and can actually help you fight heart disease. Get regular health exams and implement lifestyle changes as needed to keep your cholesterol and triglycerides at normal levels, because both are important for biological functions.
Good and Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made mostly in the liver to help the body create hormones and help you digest certain nutrients. Your body produces all of the cholesterol it needs to serve these functions, but animal-based foods containing saturated fat and cholesterol add more. The added cholesterol is viewed as "bad" because it increases the amount of low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, in your bloodstream. However, your body also creates and increases the "good" form of cholesterol called high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, when you have a healthy diet and lifestyle. The trick is to make more pro-HDL food and lifestyle choices to decrease your body's exposure to LDL. When you go to the doctor and get a cholesterol test or a lipid panel, your total cholesterol is being measured. You want the result to be 200 mg per deciliter of blood or less, with an LDL level of 100 mg/dL or less.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are often associated with cholesterol because they are packaged in the same lipoprotein transporters as LDL is. Unlike cholesterol, triglycerides are pure fat; but like cholesterol, triglycerides cannot dissolve in water or blood. Cholesterol and triglycerides are housed in protein-covered particles so they can travel through your bloodstream. A high LDL level does not mean you have high triglycerides, but this is often the case. You consume triglycerides when you eat foods high in saturated fat or when you eat more calories than your body needs in a day. The extra calories convert into triglycerides, which are stored as fat. Your physician typically checks your triglyceride levels as part of your cholesterol test. Normal triglycerides measure 150 mg/dL or less.
HDL Levels
HDL is the fixer-upper, so to speak. It serves to push the LDL out of your arteries and back to your liver for removal. It is very important to keep your HDL level high so your LDL and heart disease risks stay low. The best-case scenario for your HDL level is 60 mg/dL and above. You can achieve optimal HDL with a healthy diet, daily exercise and weight management and by following your physician's recommendations. HDL levels that fall below 50 mg/dL for women or 40 mg/dL for men are a high risk factor for heart disease.
Unhealthy Levels
A total cholesterol level of 200 to 239 mg/dL is borderline high, and a measurement of 240 mg/dL or above earns you the diagnosis of high blood cholesterol. A borderline high level is in the near-danger zone of increased heart disease risk; a diagnosis of high blood cholesterol is the absolute danger zone, which doubles your risk of heart disease, notes the American Heart Association. An LDL of 100 to 129 mg/dL is close to optimal, but aim for lower to eliminate health risk. Borderline-high LDL is 130 to 159 mg/dL; high is 160 to 189 mg/dL; and very high is 190 mg/dL and above. Triglycerides measured at 150 to 199 mg/dL are borderline, and 200 to 499 mg/dL or 500 mg/dL and above are high and very high. These numbers are unsafe and warrant immediate intervention like medications, and dietary change is necessary.
