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What Is The Difference Between Ldl And Triglycerides

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

Cholesterol and Triglycerides

If testing shows you have high cholesterol, you may want to ask your doctor these questions at your next visit.

1. What are the dangers of having high cholesterol? Can other problems develop?

2. What could have caused my cholesterol to be too high? Is it inherited?

3. Are there things I can do at home or in my life to reduce my cholesterol?

4. Is medicine necessary? Are there alternative treatments?

5. If medicine is needed, how does the medicine work?

6. How long can I take medicine? What are the side effects? Is long-term use harmful?

7. How can exercise help to lower my cholesterol?

8. Where can I learn more about how to live with high cholesterol?

9. What changes should I make to the way I eat?

10. How often do I need to get my cholesterol level checked?

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Cholesterol And Triglyceride Screening

Some health organizations recommend that everyone older than age 20 be checked for high cholesterol.

Some health organizations recommend that everyone age 20 and older be checked for high cholesterol.footnote 1 The Canadian Cardiovascular Society recommends cholesterol tests based on age and risk factors for heart disease. footnote 2

Talk to your doctor about when you should get a cholesterol test.

The Effects Of Alcohol On Triglycerides And Ldl

Moderate alcohol intake can increase HDL cholesterol, and thatâs a plus. It also might increase insulin sensitivity and cause other positive health responses. The recommendation for alcohol use is mild or moderate consumption. Using alcohol in moderation is considered one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

Note: The beneficial effects of alcohol are not great enough to endorse the use of alcohol if you do not already drink. Talk with your health care provider about the pluses and minuses of alcohol for you and your health.

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When To Contact A Doctor

While high triglyceride levels may not usually cause symptoms, anyone who is uncertain or concerned about their triglyceride levels should consult a doctor.

Additionally, any adult who has not had a lipid profile test in the last 46 years should speak with a doctor about their cardiovascular risk factors and possible need for a test. Catching elevated levels of health markers, such as triglycerides or cholesterol, at an early stage may help a person make changes earlier to address the underlying issue.

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  • Arnett, D. K., et al. . 2019 ACC/AHA Guideline on the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on clinical practice guidelines.

Increase Your Physical Activity

hdl vs ldl

Physical activity increases levels of HDL cholesterol the good cholesterol that removes LDL cholesterol from the blood. Vigorous aerobic exercise is best.

If you havent been exercising much lately, gradually build up to the recommended amount of physical activity:

  • People aged 18-64 years should do 30 to 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week.
  • People aged 65 years and over should aim for a total of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days .

Moderate-intensity exercise is a level that increases your heart rate and breathing but allows you to keep talking. Vigorous intensity exercise makes your heart rate higher and makes you breathe more heavily.

Resistance training and muscle-toning exercises can increase HDL cholesterol. Aim to do this twice a week.

Read Also: What Is Cholesterol Lab Test

How Do I Prepare For The Test

You may need to not eat or drink anything but water for 12 to 14 hours before this test. In addition, be sure your healthcare provider knows about all medicines, herbs, vitamins, and supplements you are taking. This includes medicines that dont need a prescription and any illicit drugs you may use.

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Everyone Must Understand The Difference Between Triglycerides And Cholesterol And Their Effect On Their Health

We have heard the terms cholesterols and triglycerides more often in different mediums. Have you ever wondered what they are? Have you wondered why the levels of cholesterols and triglycerides are measured differently in tests? Let us learn about these terms more in detail.

Also Check: What Is A Healthy Cholesterol Level Canada

Que Sont Les Triglycrides

Les triglycérides sont une forme de graisse alimentaire synthétisée dans le foie. Ils sont également pris avec certains types d’aliments tels que la viande, les produits laitiers et les huiles de cuisson. Quelle que soit leur source, ces deux triglycérides sont utilisés pour produire de lâénergie et emmagasiner les graisses..

Chez les individus en bonne santé, le taux de triglycérides dans le sang sera très élevé juste après un repas, mais il faudra quelques minutes pour revenir au niveau normal. Cependant, les personnes souffrant de divers états pathologiques peuvent ne pas bien réagir à ce mécanisme de régulation, ce qui entraînera une élévation prolongée des triglycérides dans le sang..

Conditions dans lesquelles le mécanisme des triglycérides est altéré:

  • Déficit en lipoprotéine lipase
  • Hyperlipidémie Combinée Familiale
  • Hyperlipidémie de type 3
  • Pré-diabète ou syndrome métabolique

Toutes ces conditions sont comparativement rares dans la population générale, mais il est important d’être vigilant, car elles jouent un rôle majeur dans l’augmentation du taux de triglycérides dans le sang..

High Cholesterol High Hdl Low Triglycerides

What LDL, HDL and triglycerides mean for cholesterol

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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What Is A High Triglyceride Level

High triglycerides can be dangerous to your health. Unfortunately, high triglycerides, like high cholesterol, rarely causes symptoms. Its vital to get routine lipid blood tests to check cholesterol numbers.

Your healthcare provider determines total cholesterol by looking at a combination of triglycerides, HDL and LDL numbers. If your triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are high, but your HDL is low, you have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

For the most accurate reading, you should fast 8 to 12 hours before a lipid blood test. A healthy number for triglycerides is below 150 milligrams per deciliter .

Your healthcare provider classifies high triglyceride levels as:

  • Mild: 150-199 mg/dL.
  • Severe: Greater than 500 mg/dL.

How Can You Calculate Triglyceride And Cholesterol Levels

High cholesterol levels do not result in specific symptoms, so it is opportune to monitor levels of this fat. To check whether your levels of cholesterol are too high, a normal blood test measuring HDL and LDL cholesterol levels is sufficient.In medical terms, the test that measures concentrations of cholesterol in blood plasma is called the lipidic profile, which uses data provided by a blood test on the values of the following parameters:

  • Total cholesterol, the sum of cholesterol content
  • HDL cholesterol

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What Is Ldl Cholesterol

Low density lipoprotein is a type of lipoprotein, which helps in the transportation of cholesterol in our body. This is often referred to as a bad cholesterol type since it can get deposited on blood vessel walls as thick and dense plaques and attracts macrophages which will eventually obstruct the vessel lumen causing Atherosclerosis.

Increased LDL levels markedly increase the risk of coronary artery disease.

Every person who is suspected to have Hypercholesterolemia should get a lipid profile done once in every month, which will reveal a laboratory measurement of LDL cholesterol in the body.

How To Lower Levels Of Triglycerides And Cholesterol

Dr Thomas Challenger » Modifying Coronary Artery Atherosclerosis

Prevention is the first step towards keeping your cholesterol levels within the recommended ranges.Here are some important lifestyle habits that help reduce and keep under control levels of cholesterol and triglycerides:

  • Engage in regular physical activity. Physical activity is not only fundamental for losing weight, but also for keeping it off. Regular physical exercise contributes to the health of our heart. The effect of physical activity on triglyceride levels varies according to the intensity of the effort expended, the length of time and the calories used up during the activity.
  • Follow a healthy diet: simple sugars, like fructose, can cause triglyceride levels to increase foods with a high saturated fat content cause an increase in bad cholesterol. It is advisable to eat foods containing complex carbohydrates and foods rich in fiber, like greens and whole grains instead of simple sugars, and increase the amount of food rich in mono and polyunsaturates .
  • Keep your weight under control. In light of the continuing increase in overweight and obesity, it is fundamental to keep your weight under control from early childhood on, utilizing an approach designed to balance caloric intake through food with the calories you consume while engaging in physical activity.

Sometimes altering your lifestyle habits is not sufficient to keep cholesterol under control. In this case it is possible to undergo a pharmaceutical treatment and/or a treatment utilizing nutritional supplements.

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How Do Triglycerides Circulate In The Blood

Pure cholesterol cannot mix with or dissolve in the blood. Instead, the liver packages cholesterol with triglycerides and proteins called lipoproteins. The lipoproteins move this fatty mixture to areas throughout the body.

Types of these lipoproteins include very low-density lipoproteins , high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins .

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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Medications May Be Needed For High Triglyceride Levels

Sometimes, healthy eating and regular exercise cant lower high triglyceride levels. This may be the case, for example, if you have familial hypertriglyceridemia or if you already have heart disease. Your doctor may prescribe medication such as fibrates or nicotinic acids. Drugs to help lower high blood cholesterol may also be prescribed, if necessary.Suggestions for managing high triglyceride levels with medication include:

  • Always take prescription medications exactly as instructed.
  • See your doctor if you are having side effects from the medication. Known medication side effects may include indigestion, diarrhoea, fever or muscle problems.
  • Dont assume that medications will somehow overcome the hazards of an unhealthy lifestyle. A healthy diet, regular exercise and maintaining an appropriate weight for your height are the most important management strategies for high triglycerides.

Do High Tg Levels Affect Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol Levels

Triglyceride/HDL Ratio – A Better CV Risk Predictor than LDL? (Part 2)

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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    How Can I Prevent High Cholesterol And Triglycerides

    The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 6 percent of your daily calories come from saturated fat. The AHA also recommends avoiding trans fats whenever possible. Eating plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can also decrease high cholesterol.

    Other ways that can help you maintain healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels include:

    • eating skinless poultry with no visible fat
    • eating lean meats, in moderate portions
    • eating low-fat or fat-free dairy products
    • consuming polyunsaturated fats and mono-unsaturated fat instead of saturated fats and trans fats
    • exercising for at least 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week
    • avoiding fast food, junk food, and processed meats
    • eating grilled and roasted foods instead of fried foods
    • drinking less alcohol, alcohol causes triglyceride levels to increase

    How Quickly Can I Lower My Cholesterol

    Your cholesterol levels may lower as quickly as a few weeks to a few months, depending on your treatment plan.

    If your levels are very high, your healthcare provider may recommend taking medications at the start of your treatment plan. This may help lower your cholesterol levels more quickly. The sooner you can lower your bad cholesterol levels, the sooner you can lower your risk for plaques to form.

    You can also lower your cholesterol through lifestyle and diet changes alone, but it may take three to six months to see results. Talk with your healthcare provider to figure out the best treatment plan for you.

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    How Often Should I Get My Cholesterol Checked

    Your provider will tell you how often you need your cholesterol checked. It depends on your:

    • Age: The older you get, the more often you need to have your numbers checked.
    • Family history: If you have a close biological family member with a history of heart disease, you face a higher risk of heart problems, too. You may need cholesterol tests more often if your family member has high cholesterol or a history of heart attack or stroke.
    • Risk factors for heart disease: If youve been diagnosed with heart disease or have risk factors, youll need cholesterol tests more often.
    • Sex assigned at birth: People assigned male at birth need more frequent tests starting at a younger age compared with people assigned female at birth.

    Children and teens age 19 and younger should get their first test between ages 9 and 11. Then, they should receive a test every five years. Your childs provider may recommend starting at a younger age based on family history.

    Here are general guidelines for adults based on sex and age.

    People assigned male at birth

    Age
    Every year.

    High Total Cholesterol In The United States

    What is the Difference Between Lipids and Cholesterol
    • Between 2015 and 2018, nearly 12% of adults age 20 and older had total cholesterol above 240 mg/dL, and about 17% had high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels below 40 mg/dL.1
    • Slightly more than half of U.S. adults who could benefit from cholesterol medicine are currently taking it.2
    • Nearly 94 million U.S. adults age 20 or older have total cholesterol levels above 200 mg/dL. Twenty-eight million adults in the United States have total cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL.1
    • Nearly 7% of U.S. children and adolescents ages 6 to 19 have high total cholesterol.1
    • High cholesterol has no symptoms, so many people dont know that their cholesterol is too high. A simple blood test can check cholesterol levels.
    • Having high blood cholesterol raises the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death, and for stroke, the fifth leading cause of death.

    The map shows that concentrations of counties with the highest cholesterol prevalence meaning the top quintile are located primarily in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, Main, South Carolina, and Kansas. Pockets of high-rate counties also were found in Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, and Washington.

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