CHOLESTEROL
All the cholesterol you need is already manufactured in the body, but food also contributes. Heredity, weight, age, sex, exercise and stress can affect your levels. A lipid profile and chemistry test can help measure one’s risk of heart disease.
Measuring cholesterol with a lipid profile blood test A lipid profile blood test also measures the “good” cholesterol, which is known as HDL. This cholesterol is carried from your heart to your liver, which removes the “bad” cholesterol or LDL from your bloodstream. A lipid profile that shows HDL less than 35 mg/dl increases the risk of heart disease. Higher HDL levels are found in the profiles of individuals who exercise, eat healthy and don’t smoke. With HDL cholesterol, higher is better.
A healthy lipid profile blood test will show LDL cholesterol at 100 mg/DL or less. Anything over 130 mg/DL is considered high. Monitor your super chemistry lipid profile carefully to check your HDL and LDL levels.
Measuring Triglycerides. The lipid profile also measures triglycerides, which are another form of fat. Triglycerides come from foods like vegetable oils and animal fats.High triglyceride levels should be cause for concern. A normal triglyceride level is less than 150 mg/DL. Levels 150 mg/DL or higher are considered high, and an immediate change in diet, along with cardiovascular exercise, should be considered.