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Triglycerides are the chemical form of fat that can be found in many foods and in blood plasma. The amount of triglycerides in our bodies can greatly affect our cholesterol in the form of plasma lipids. That is why many doctors will perform a triglyceride blood test along with the usual cholesterol tests to determine the risk of heart disease.
The triglycerides that is in the plasma is made up of different fats from foods and from carbohydrates (and other energy sources) that are found in the body. It is always a good idea to watch your calorie intake to prevent from eating too many. Why? The calories that are not put to use immediately in our bodies after ingestion are converted into triglycerides and than are pushed into the fat cells where they are stored for some time.
Hypertriglyceridemia is when there are too much triglycerides being stored in the body. When there is a large amount of triglycerides it can cause many diseases including coronary heart disease and diabetes mellitus among other diseases. Doctors who test for the levels of triglycerides will look at the measurements of plasma in the body.
There are four regions that doctors use to measure the level of triglycerides. It was put together by the National Cholesterol Education Program.
150 mg/dL and Less - Normal
150-199 mg/dL - Borderline
200-499 mg/dL - High
500 mg/dL and Higher - Very High
What Is Lipoprotein Cholesterol?
Lipoprotein is a specific type of LDL cholesterol particle that is connected to apo - a special protein. Doctors have discovered that the level of someone's Lp Cholesterol is determined by genetics. LDL cholesterol is known as ‘bad cholesterol' because of this we know that high levels of Lp cholesterol (such as 20 to 30 mg/dL) can cause certain diseases such as atherosclerosis and heart attacks. If high Lp levels in the blood are high and the level of LDL cholesterol is also high than the person has a greater risk of contracting these diseases.
Doctors have done many studies and conducted many experiments to determine exactly how Lp can build up plaques of cholesterol along the artery walls. They are not even sure if lowering the amount of Lp cholesterol in the blood will help to lower the risk of heart attacks. In fact there are some doctors who do not even focus on lowering these levels.
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