Heart Health Month: Understanding Your Lipid Panel and How to Improve Cholesterol and Triglycerides

In this article:

• Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Heart Health Month in February is a good opportunity to learn more about cardiovascular disease and what you can do to lower your risk. 
• Getting your cholesterol and triglyceride levels checked regularly can help you stay aware. 
• A lipid panel is a blood test that measures LDL “bad” cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in the blood. Your values can help your doctor assess risk for heart disease. 
• Positive changes in nutrition and physical activity can improve your lipid panel scores. 
• Lark can help you establish healthy habits for long-term changes with 24/7 coaching towards your health and weight loss goals.

February is Heart Health Month. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the US, and Heart Health Month is a great time to learn more about risk factors and what you can do to keep your heart as healthy as possible. 

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You may have seen or heard about cholesterol and triglycerides. These are types of fats, or lipids, in your blood. Your healthcare provider may regularly order blood tests to measure your cholesterol and triglyceride levels to gather information about your heart health. Here’s what you should know about what the numbers mean and which diet, exercise, and other lifestyle choices can impact them. 

Basic Information on Lipid Panels to Measure Cholesterol and Triglycerides

A lipid panel is a set of laboratory tests that your healthcare provider may order. It probably measures levels of LDL “bad” cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, and triglycerides.

• LDL “bad” cholesterol: these compounds carry fats to your arteries, or some blood vessels in your body. Too much can lead to cardiovascular risk
• HDL “good” cholesterol: these compounds carry fats away from cells in your body. They “clear” lipids, and higher levels can be healthy
• Triglycerides carry excess fat from your diet for storage.

Your blood lipid panel results may also include a value for total cholesterol, which is estimated using LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.

The American Heart Association (AHA) says adults should get cholesterol checked every 4-6 years if they are healthy, and more often if they have risk factors. Some healthcare providers ask you to get your lipid panel done after an overnight fast because triglyceride levels can sometimes change if you’ve eaten, but many healthcare providers recognize that the lipid panel can still be valuable if you’re not fasting for your blood draw. 

It’s important to keep in mind that a variety of factors affect your blood lipid levels. Some factors are non-modifiable. For example, you can’t do anything to change risk factors like male gender, older age, or family history.

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Your doctor can recommend treatment for high total or LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high triglycerides. Treatment is likely to include lifestyle factors like diet and exercise, but you may need medications like statins. Talk to your healthcare provider about your results. 

Total Cholesterol

Total cholesterol refers to all of the cholesterol in your blood, including LDL “bad” cholesterol, HDL “good” cholesterol, and some of your triglycerides. Total cholesterol doesn’t give a complete picture of your blood lipids because it’s best to have higher HDL and lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. 

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Your lipid panel results may also include a value called “total cholesterol to HDL ratio.” A value under 3.5 shows lower risk, while higher values are riskier.

LDL (“Bad”) Cholesterol

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)- cholesterol carries cholesterol to your arteries. It can build up over time and cause the formation of plaque in your artery walls.

• Plaque can break off and block blood flow. If it blocks blood flow to the heart, that’s a heart attack. If it blocks blood flow to the brain, that’s a stroke
• Plaque buildup can also cause hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke

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Here are some food choices you can make to lower LDL cholesterol.

• Reduce consumption of saturated fat. Sources include fatty meats like ground beef and steak, butter, cheese, and tropical oils like coconut and palm
• Avoid trans fats. Sources include some fried foods and processed snacks with partially hydrogenated oils
• Increase soluble fiber consumption. Sources include oats, tomatoes, beans, lentils, apples, and pears
• Ask your healthcare provider about plant sterols and stanols. Sources include some fortified foods like margarine spreads with plant sterols
• Consume lean sources of protein. Examples include fish, beans, lentils, and skinless chicken. 
• Choose whole grains instead of refined carbs. Examples include oatmeal and whole-grain cereal, whole-wheat bread and pasta, brown rice, and quinoa

It’s also helpful to lose excess weight if you’re overweight or obese, and to be physically active.

HDL (“Good”) Cholesterol 

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol helps “clear” excess cholesterol from your bloodstream. It is considered protective against heart disease. 

• Increase physical activity levels, including aerobic and muscle-strengthening
• Lose excess weight if you’re overweight or obese
• Avoid trans fats 
• Stop smoking if you do
• If you drink at all, keep alcohol in moderation, which means one or fewer drinks per day for women, and two or fewer drinks per day for men
• Swap less healthy fats for healthier sources of fat like avocados, olive oil, nuts, peanut butter, and seeds

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Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat that your body stores for energy. Higher levels of triglycerides are associated with insulin resistance, higher risk of heart disease, and metabolic syndrome, which is a set of symptoms like insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and obesity. 

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Here are some choices you can make to lower triglycerides.

• Reduced added sugars. Candy, sugar-sweetened soda and other beverages, sweetened cereal and oatmeal, sugar-sweetened yogurt, and desserts can be high in sugar
• Have more whole grains instead of refined grains like white bread and pasta, white rice, and white crackers
• Reduce or eliminate alcoholic beverages
• Add omega-3 fatty acids. Sources include fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, and herring, as well as flaxseed and English walnuts
• Choose unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats like butter, shortening, skin on poultry, and fatty red meat

If you have prediabetes or diabetes, achieving blood sugar targets can help keep triglycerides down.

How Lark Can Help

Understanding your lipid panel and how your choices can affect it is an important step in lowering heart health risks. Your Lark coach is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

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Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!

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