How to Understand Your Lipid Panel

A lipid panel is a diagnostic tool that assesses your levels of three types of fat related to cholesterol. Doctors obtain a lipid panel by performing a fasting blood test. The lipid panel contains information about the amounts of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol in your blood. It also quantifies your blood levels of triglycerides, which tend to be directly related to your consumption of dietary fat and carbohydrates.

Instructions

How to Understand Your Lipid Panel

• 1

  Check the level of LDL cholesterol on your test results. A healthy level of LDL cholesterol for an adult is less than 100 mg/dL. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol is the substance that carries cholesterol fat through your blood to your tissues, causing dangerous buildup on your artery walls called artherosclerosis. If your LDL cholesterol level is higher than 100mg/dL, consider making dietary changes or increasing your level of exercise.

• 2

  Check the level of HDL cholesterol on your lab report. A healthy level of HDL cholesterol is above 40 mg/Dl for adult men and above 50 mg/Dl for adult women. Low density lipoprotein cholesterol works in your bloodstream to cleanse your body of LDL cholesterol, so the more you have, the lower your risk factor for heart disease. If your level of HDL cholesterol is low, speak to your doctor about adding healthy fats to your diet.

• 3

  Check the level of triglycerides on your lipid panel blood test results. A healthy triglyceride level is less than 150 mg/dL, although people in countries with relatively low incidences of heart disease tend to have triglyceride levels averaging less than 100 mg/dL. Triglyceride levels are more likely than cholesterol levels to fluctuate with short-term environmental factors such as whether you are dehydrated, or even whether you are sitting or standing when the technician or doctor draws your blood. If your triglyceride level is high and there is no obvious reason for it to be falsely inflated, talk to your doctor about lessening your fat intake, or testing for diabetes mellitus.