What Is Hdl Ldl And Triglycerides

Does Coffee Affect Triglyceride Levels

Drinking coffeeespecially unfiltered coffeesignificantly contributes to increased levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and triglycerides, researchers have reported. The more coffee consumed, the higher the concentrations of LDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol, they found.

Why Cholesterol Matters For Women

Ah, cholesterol and triglycerides. We hear about them all the time. Even foods that might seem good for you on the surface, like fruit-filled yogurt or bran muffins, can contribute to abnormal levels if they contain too much saturated fat or refined sugar, says Erin Michos, M.D., associate director of preventive cardiology at the Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease.

Whats more, many women are at risk for high cholesterol and dont realize it. Approximately 45 percent of women over the age of 20 have a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dl and above, which is considered elevated but a survey by the American Heart Association found that 76 percent of women say they dont even know what their cholesterol values are, Michos says.

Scarier still: Triglycerides, a type of blood fat typically measured alongside cholesterol, are even more risky in women compared with men. This is a problem because womens cholesterol levels can fluctuate quite a bit after menopause and tend to increase with age, putting us at greater risk of heart disease and stroke. Knowing your cholesterol numbers and how to control them is a big step toward staying healthy.

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Think You Have High Cholesterol

There are a number of reasons that you may think that you have high cholesterol. Maybe you have a family history, a sedentary lifestyle or a diet that needs a touch up.

Whatever reason you might suspect for having high cholesterol, its good to know that its easier than ever to check your cholesterol levels.

Now, you have the ability to check your cholesterol from home. Order today and receive your results with additional one to one medical advice in a matter of days.

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Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors

High triglyceride levels are associated with a collection of disorders known as metabolic syndrome. A person with metabolic syndrome has an increased risk of developing diabetes, stroke or heart disease.A person is classed as having metabolic syndrome when they have any three of the following factors:

• Central obesity excess fat in and around the stomach
• High blood pressure
• High blood triglycerides.

Lowering Your Triglyceride Levels

Making some simple lifestyle changes can go a long way in helping bring down your triglyceride levels, including:

• Losing weight. Dropping just five to ten pounds can help lower your triglycerides.
• Avoiding sugary and refined foods. Stay away from simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and foods made with white flour.
• Eliminating trans and saturated fats. Trans fats are found in fried foods and commercial baked products like cookies and crackers and saturated fats are found in meats. Instead, choose healthier monounsaturated fats found in plants, such as olive, peanut and canola oils, and fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon and mackerel.
• Limiting alcohol consumption. Alcohol is high in calories and sugar and effects triglycerides. Even small amounts of alcohol can raise triglyceride levels.
• Maintaining regular exercise. Regular exercise can increase HDL cholesterol levels and lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week.

If making some lifestyle adjustments isnt enough to control your triglyceride levels, a medication may be necessary. Talk with your doctor to determine the best course of action for you to ensure a healthy heart.

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Why Is Tg/hdl Important

TG/HDL is important because it is an important predictor of risk for heart disease. It is also a marker of insulin resistance, and insulin resistance is the major cause of prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.

The Womens Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation study studied 544 women referred for CV disease evaluation . The TG/HDL ranged from 0.3 to 18.4. It was a powerful predictor of all mortality and cardiovascular events.

This chart shows the WISE study range of TG/HDL. Individuals with lower TG/HDL had lower CV disease risk.

What Are Normal Cholesterol Levels

Normal cholesterol levels vary based on your age and sex assigned at birth.

Normal cholesterol levels by age chart

The chart below shows normal cholesterol levels. Healthcare providers consider these numbers healthy for most people. If you have heart disease or many risk factors, your LDL target may be different. Your healthcare provider may want your LDL level to be below 70 mg/dL. So, its important to talk with your provider about your test results and what they mean for you.

All units in the chart below are mg/dL.

Age

People assigned male at birth: 40 or higher

People assigned female at birth: 50 or higher

As you review your results, remember that you want your LDL to be low and your HDL to be high. Ideally, your HDL should be above 60. Its the helpful cholesterol. An HDL above 60 offers you protection against heart disease.

Sex-based differences

Most normal cholesterol levels are the same regardless of your sex. But there is one key difference among adults. Thats your HDL number. As the chart above shows, people assigned female at birth need a higher HDL level compared with people assigned male at birth .

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High Cholesterol High Hdl Low Triglycerides

Dr T

Question:Answer:

There are 2 kinds of LDL cholesterol, A and B, of which B is associated with heart disease.Most labs calculate LDL as follows:

LDL = Total Cholesterol HDL triglycerides/5.

This doesnt explain the difference between LDL A or B .

Studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between a low triglyceride/high HDL level and LDL pattern A .

On the other hand, a high triglyceride/low HDL level is strongly associated with LDL pattern B . Thus high triglycerides are an independent risk factor for heart disease.

From this you can calculate that in your situation a high LDL is mostly Type A , confirmed by a high HDL and low triglyrerides and that therefore there a very low risk of heart disease.

Having high cholesterol may still be healthy if good cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and other markers of cardiovascular health are good. You can calculate this here. People with high good cholesterol levels and low levels of triglycerides may actually be at a lower risk for heart disease than people with normal cholesterol levels who have lower levels of good cholesterol and higher levels of bad cholesterol.

Hope this helps,

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Do High Tg Levels Affect Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol Levels

The image below shows how LDLs and HDLs transport TG. It is from the National Lipid Associations website, used with permission from Tom Dayspring .

Here, an enzyme called CETP facilitates the exchange of cholesterol in large HDL and large LDL with TG. What CETP does is it takes cholesterol out of large HDL and LDL particles and then transfers TG into these particles. In turn, hepatic lipase metabolizes TG-rich HDLs and LDLs, leading to smaller HDLs and LDLs.

In a nutshell, high TG levels affect HDL and LDL levels. And prediabetes leads to high TG levels.

Look at the image below showing what a lipid profile would look like in a patient with prediabetes.

The patient has elevated TG levels , a low HDL cholesterol level , and a high LDL cholesterol level .

There was a decrease in the size of HDLs. Normally, the HDL curve should be a smooth bell curve peaking where the red circle is drawn. Here, the large HDLs are taken out.

There was also a decrease in the size of LDLs. Though the LDL has a good bell curve at the right, the curves peak shifted to the left. This means there are more smaller and denser LDLs.

Aside from prediabetes, this patient actually has another problemfamilial hypercholesterolemia . Neither condition was noticed before the patient came to us.

To make matters worse, the patient also has an elevated TG/HDL216/34 or 6.4! I recommend a goal of 1.5 or less.

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Triglyceride/hdl Cholesterol Ratio And Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is a condition in which cells fail to respond to the normal actions of insulin. Most people with this condition have high levels of insulin in their blood. Insulin resistance appears to play a significant role in coronary heart disease and can predict mortality. The condition is common among individuals with abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

A study in which most of the participants were Caucasian and overweight identified TG/HDL-C ratio of 3 or greater as a reliable predictor of insulin resistance.

However, not all studies have found the TG/HDL-C ratio to be associated with insulin resistance. For example, in a relatively small study of 125 African American participants, neither fasting TG nor the TG/HDL-C ratio was shown to be a marker of insulin resistance.

Although confirmatory studies are needed, data suggests that an elevated TG/HDL-C ratio may be clinically useful for the prediction of insulin resistance.

What Is Hdl Cholesterol

What Is HDL?

HDL cholesterol aka high-density lipoprotein is known as good cholesterol. Like LDL, HDL isnt necessarily a type of cholesterol, it is a combination of a protein and a lipid that has the purpose of carrying excess cholesterol to the liver for filtration and removal from the body.

A healthy level of HDL in the blood is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and high blood pressure.

HDL & your risk of heart disease

Historically, elevated levels of HDL have been associated with an increased protective effect from cardiovascular issues. More recent study has shown too much of a good thing isn’t always great, elevated HDL in the blood is actually associated with an increased risk of heart attack.

While elevated levels of HDL may not be as worrisome as high levels of LDL in the blood, its worth keeping an eye on your HDL levels just as much as you would, your LDL levels or bad cholesterol.

Where does HDL cholesterol come from?

HDL cholesterol is produced by the liver and small intestine. HDL or good cholesterol also comes from certain foods that we consume.

Foods that are rich in HDL include:

Some of the functions of HDL cholesterol include:

• HDL cholesterol absorbs excess lipids and transports it to the liver to be broken down and expelled from the body.

What are the symptoms of high HDL ?

There are no symptoms of high HDL cholesterol.

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What Is High Cholesterol Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment And Prevention

High cholesterol is a condition that occurs when levels of cholesterol in your blood are elevated enough to cause health problems, including heart disease and stroke. Sometimes known as hyperlipidemia, high cholesterol is painless and doesnt cause any symptoms until a person develops severe heart disease.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and stroke is the fifth leading cause.

Produced by your liver, cholesterol is a dense, fatty substance thats found in every cell of your body, and it is considered essential to many life-sustaining functions. It helps your body make hormones and vitamin D, and its also found in compounds that your body creates to help you digest food, such as bile.

Circulating in the bloodstream in small bundles of fat and protein called lipoproteins, cholesterol comes in two primary types: low-density lipoprotein , which contributes to the buildup of fatty plaques, and high-density lipoprotein , which is thought to protect from heart disease and stroke. A blood test known as a lipid panel can measure both LDL and HDL cholesterol, as well as triglycerides, the most common type of fat in the blood.

What Are The Different Types Of Cholesterol

There are two types: high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein . As a general rule, HDL is considered good cholesterol, while LDL is considered bad. This is because HDL carries cholesterol to your liver, where it can be removed from your bloodstream before it builds up in your arteries. LDL, on the other hand, takes cholesterol directly to your arteries. This can result in atherosclerosis, a plaque buildup that can even cause heart attack and stroke.

Triglycerides make up the third component of cholesterol and act as unused calories that are stored as fat in the blood. Eating more calories than you burn can cause triglycerides to build up in the bloodstream, increasing your risk for heart attacks.

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Should My Child Have A Blood Lipid Test

A lipid screening is a test to look at the levels of the fats in the blood. In the past, doctors felt that children and teens were not at risk for high cholesterol levels. But we now know that children and teens are at risk. This is due to things such as:

• Being inactive from too much screen time and not enough exercise

• High-fat or high-sugar diets

• Family history of high cholesterol levels

Children and teens with high cholesterol are at higher risk for heart disease as adults. Keeping blood cholesterol levels in the normal range reduces this risk.

What Should Your Results Include

As a minimum, you should be given your total cholesterol and HDL , then you can work out your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol .

You might also have your triglycerides tested, these are another type of blood fat which are linked to heart disease.

• Total cholesterol

  This is sometimes written as ‘serum cholesterol’ or ‘TC’ and refers to your overall level of cholesterol.

• Non-HDL cholesterol

  Your non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL cholesterol. Its all the ‘bad’ cholesterol added together, including your LDL cholesterol. Ideally it should be as low as possible.

• HDL cholesterol

  Your HDL cholesterol helps clear the cholesterol out of your arteries, while your LDL cholesterol can clog them up. Your HDL cholesterol should ideally be high, around 1.4mmol/L, but our specialists believe that HDL levels higher than this might not give you any extra benefit.

• TC:HDL ratio

  You might be given a TC:HDL ratio, which is the ratio of HDL compared to the total cholesterol. If not, you can work it out from your HDL and total cholesterol numbers. This should be as low as possible. Above 6 is considered high.

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Note On Existing Studies

More research is needed to fully understand whether very high HDL levels increase the risk of death.

The authors of a 2019 study suggest that genetic mutations linked to very high HDL levels, impaired HDL function at high levels, and potential bias in research due to flaws in study design may contribute to the potential link found in some studies.

Diets High In Calories Carbs And Fats

Triglyceride levels increase with a positive energy-intake balance . In other words, when you eat more than your body needs, the surplus is transformed into fat, including triglycerides. Its easier to overeat when your diet is high in calories and contains lots of carbs and saturated fats .

Low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets are among the most common causes of high triglycerides. But wait we said that high-fat diets are bad, so doesnt that mean a low-fat diet should be beneficial? Not quite .

Saturated, unhealthy fats are bad. But your body needs healthy fats such as those found in olive oil and fish oil to keep your triglyceride levels normal and to maintain your overall health. If you dont get enough dietary fats, your body will revert to transforming the sugars you consume into fats .

This goes against the popular but unfounded belief that your body wont store fat as long as you dont eat fats. In truth, high-carbohydrate diets can be much worse than high-fat diets for your triglyceride levels. Many scientists advocate that high-carb, low-fat diets likely also contributed to the obesity epidemic in America over the past few decades .

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How To Improve Your Triglyceride/hdl Cholesterol Ratio

Improving your TG/HDL ratio aims at lowering TG, raising HDL-C or preferably both.

If you are overweight, losing weight will probably lower your TG levels and so will reducing your intake of added sugar. Studies have found that high intake of fructose leads to high TG. High-fructose corn syrup is a major source of fructose.

Low-fat diets are usually not effective in lowering TG. In fact, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets may raise TG. Adding omega-3 fatty acids, regular exercise and limiting alcohol may be helpful to reduce TG.

Similar methods may be useful for raising HDL-C. Losing weight, exercising and not smoking may help. In controlled trials, low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets decrease HDL-C, thereby raising theTG/HDL-C ratio.

In 1961, a group of investigators from the Rockefeller Institute, led by Pete Ahrens published a paper entitled Carbohydrate-induced and fat-induced lipemia.

The authors pointed out that fat-induced increase in TG following a meal is a postprandial phenomenon caused by chylomicrons is different from the carbohydrate-induced rise in TG .

These findings have been confirmed in several more recent studies. Despite this, low fat, high carbohydrate diets are still being recommended as a primary option to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Although low-fat diets may help to lower LDL-C, low-carbohydrate diets are more effective in improving the TG/HDL-C ratio.

What Affects The Test

Many conditions can affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels, including:

• Medicines, such as diuretics, corticosteroids, male sex hormones , tranquillizers, estrogen, birth control pills, antibiotics, and niacin .
• Physical stress, such as infection, heart attack, surgery.
• Other conditions, such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, or kidney or liver disease.
• Alcohol use disorder.
• Liver disease , malnutrition, or hyperthyroidism.
• Pregnancy. Values are the highest during the third trimester and usually return to the pre-pregnancy levels after delivery of the baby.

Your doctor will talk with you about any abnormal results that may be related to your other health problems.

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