Heart Health Risk Factors--High cholesterol levels

A woman said to me, my doctor said my triglyceride is too high.  What’s triglyceride?

She had a blood test drawn (a cholesterol panel) which includes a triglyceride level, LDL (low density or ‘bad’ lipoprotein) cholesterol level, HDL (high density or ‘good’ lipoprotein) cholesterol level, and a total cholesterol (which reflects all those components). 

A triglyceride is a measurement of the amount of food a person eats and doesn’t use; the body stores it as triglyceride until the body needs it.  A normal level of triglycerides is less than 150.   LDL (low density lipoproteins) are known as ‘bad’ cholesterol.  High levels of LDL are considered a bad report.  A normal level of LDL is less than 130.    HDL (high density lipoproteins) are considered the ‘good cholesterol’.  A normal level of HDL is above 45.  A normal total cholesterol level is below 200.  (Different laboratories may vary on the lab value numbers.) 

Americans have begun to frown on fats and say fats cause heart disease.   It’s excessive fats (and the wrong types of fats) that are the problem.  Fats are essential for proper functioning of our bodies.  We need fats to provide fuel and act as building blocks for cells.  We need cholesterol to make hormones, bile and vitamin D.

               Our cholesterol levels are partially determined by our genes.  However, a person can improve his cholesterol levels by eating healthy fats, watching the amount of food he eats (portion control) and exercising.  What are considered healthy fats?  Liquid oils (olive, canola and corn oils) are considered better than solids (such as margarine, butter and lard).  Healthy oils found in foods include nuts, olives, avocados and fish such as salmon.  Portion control is a problem for many of us—we’ve ‘supersized’ our portions to the point we don’t know what a portion should be.  Exercising helps us use the extra food we may eat; it’s good for our bodies.  More information can be obtained at the U.S. Department of Agriculture My Pyramid site at http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/resource/MyPyramidBrochurebyIFIC.pdf  Every day we make choices which affect our cholesterol levels and our risk of heart disease.