by Angeline Oppenheimer

Created on: January 17, 2010   Last Updated: October 30, 2010

A comprehensive lipid profile can reveal your cholesterol levels.  What numbers put you at risk of cardiovascular diseases? If you're not sure what these numbers are saying, here is the scoop, explained in ordinary language so you can actually read your lipid profile and understand the implications behind the numbers. A lipid profile breaks down the different types of cholesterol (the good and the bad) and triglycerides, the most common form of cholesterol in your blood serum. The

American Heart Association offers a comprehensive break down.

Cholesterol is often associated with heart health and cardiovascular diseases. What is it? Cholesterol is a waxy fatty substance essential for making hormones, vitamin D and cell membranes. The liver naturally produces two-thirds of the body’s cholesterol and you can easily obtain the remaining one-third from food. However, too much saturated fats and foods high in cholesterol can raise cholesterol levels.  A total cholesterol reading of over 200 mg/dL (meaning 200 milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood) can put you at risk for heart disease- the number one killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

However, not all cholesterol is bad. Cholesterol needs to pair up with proteins in order to travel in the blood, earning the name lipoprotein (cholesterol on the inside and protein on the outside). Lipoproteins with proportionately low levels of proteins and high levels of fat are known as Low Density Lipoproteins (or LDLs for short). They are “bad” particles and they ferry cholesterol into your arteries. Not a happy prospect as  these particles  are often deposited on the walls of arteries, narrowing and hardening the arteries in the process, leading to high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart attacks and stroke. To reduce risk, take measures to keep LDL low. The ideal reading is anything below 100 mg/dL.  Any reading over 160 mg/dL puts you at high  risk. If you already had a heart attack, have diabetes or peripheral vascular diseases, aim even lower—70 mg/dL or lower.

On the other hand, lipoproteins containing higher level of proteins than fat are High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs). They are the good particles that carry cholesterol to the liver to be eliminated. From induction, you want to increase levels of HDLs as they act as bad cholesterol busters. Carol Ann Rinzler, a nutrition expert, together with

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