Sage-Tips

Can you have high LDL and be healthy?

“If you’re someone who has a relatively healthy lifestyle and your cholesterol levels are high — if you have an LDL greater than 160 — you probably have some genetic component that leads to high cholesterol,” says Raj Khandwalla, MD, cardiologist and director of digital therapeutics at Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars- …

Can you be in good shape and have high cholesterol?

We all need some cholesterol in our blood to stay healthy, but too much can lead to serious health problems in the future, including heart attacks and strokes. Anyone can have high cholesterol – even if you are young, slim, eat well and exercise. That’s because high cholesterol can be caused by different things.

What is a negative effect of too much LDL cholesterol?

Your body needs some cholesterol to make hormones, vitamin D, and digestive fluids. Cholesterol also helps your organs function properly. Yet having too much LDL cholesterol can be a problem. High LDL cholesterol over time can damage your arteries, contribute to heart disease, and increase your risk for a stroke.

Why is LDL not calculated due to high triglycerides?

As you may already know, the LDL cholesterol that is usually reported when a lipid panel is ordered is not measured but calculated. When the triglycerides are high, LDL cannot be accurately calculated because triglycerides are part of the equation.

What does high LDL and low triglycerides mean?

When you have low triglyceride levels but high LDL levels, it could indicate that you have a diet filled with healthy fats. Healthy fats will not only cause an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) but can also change the type of the LDL particles in the blood.

Why is my LDL always high?

What makes LDL cholesterol too high? Diet: Diets high in saturated fats, salts, and cholesterol (as found in fatty meats, some processed foods, dairy, and cured meats) and low in healthy proteins (fish, nuts, avocados, and others) and fiber (such as leafy vegetables, and apples) can lead to high LDL.

Why would LDL be elevated?

Certain medicines, including steroids, some blood pressure medicines, and HIV/AIDS medicines, can raise your LDL level. Other medical conditions. Diseases such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS can cause a higher LDL level. Race.

Does high triglycerides raise LDL?

High triglycerides tend to show up along with other problems, like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, high levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, and low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol. So it’s hard to know for sure which problems are caused by high triglycerides alone.

Are triglycerides and cholesterol the same?

Triglycerides and cholesterol are different types of lipids that circulate in your blood: Triglycerides store unused calories and provide your body with energy. Cholesterol is used to build cells and certain hormones.

Can you have low triglycerides with high LDL cholesterol?

Because LDL comes from two sources — the foods you eat and heredity — it is possible to have low triglycerides along with high LDL by eating a healthy diet while your body produces high levels of LDL. The American Heart Association says about 75 percent of your total cholesterol is manufactured in your liver and other cells.

Is having a high LDL cholesterol good or bad?

From this you can calculate that in your situation a high LDL is mostly Type A (good), 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.

Why do cholesterol levels go down when triglycerides are high?

There are certain reasons for this occurrence. There have even been cases where the triglycerides are very high and the LDL, the bad cholesterol, and HDL cholesterol are low. This also causes the total cholesterol levels to fall. Triglycerides and cholesterol are both types of fats, both having their own functions to perform in the body.

What causes low HDL cholesterol levels?

Smoking is a common cause of low HDL cholesterol levels, high LDL levels. and raised triglycerides. So, you may see a picture of high TG levels with low HDL values in chronic smokers.