Among the indicators of blood lipid inspection, including cholesterol and triglycerides, which of these two indicators is elevated is more harmful to the human body?

Compared with the two, cholesterol is the main cause of atherosclerosis, which in turn induces coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction and other diseases, so its elevation is more dangerous than triglyceride elevation.

　　How low is 'low density' cholesterol to be normal

　　There are 4 main indicators in blood lipid examination, namely total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).

In clinical treatment, the most worthy of attention is low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides.

　　Traditionally, total cholesterol levels are associated with cardiovascular disease risk.

But there is now a view that using total cholesterol levels to measure lipid risk is inaccurate.

Because in total cholesterol, including low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Among them, "low density" is bad cholesterol, which is the main component that constitutes the core of atherosclerotic plaque; and "high density" is good cholesterol, which can transport cholesterol from blood vessels back to the liver for decomposition.

　　So when measuring lipid risk, we mainly look at the level of LDL cholesterol.

　　So, what is the normal range for LDL cholesterol?

The first thing to note here is that the normal value of this indicator cannot be completely based on the reference range on the test sheet.

After many people get the test sheet, they only see if there is an "arrow" on it and whether it exceeds the standard range. Don't forget, this range is only suitable for healthy people's reference, not for those with cardiovascular disease risk factors (high blood pressure, People with diabetes, men over 45 years old, women over 55 years old, smoking, family history of premature cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, etc.).

　　Specifically, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level is divided into the following three conditions.

　　1. Healthy people should be lower than 3.31mmol/L.

　　2. High-risk groups should be lower than 2.6mmol/L.

High-risk groups are defined as those with diabetes, or with hypertension and one of the aforementioned cardiovascular disease risk factors, or with untreated LDL cholesterol levels above 4.9 mmol/L.

　　3. Very high-risk groups should be lower than 1.8mmol/L.

Very high risk group refers to those who have suffered myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, coronary heart disease, carotid artery stenosis more than 50% and other diseases; or have both diabetes and hypertension; or have diabetes and one of the above cardiovascular disease risk factors; Or have 3 or more risk factors at the same time.

　　Elevated triglycerides prevent pancreatitis

　　Under normal circumstances, the normal value of triglycerides is below 1.7mmol/L, 1.7-2.25mmol/L is marginally elevated, over 2.25mmol/L is elevated, and over 5.6mmol/L is severely elevated.

　　Elevated triglycerides also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but less so than elevated cholesterol.

However, elevated triglycerides can easily induce another disease - pancreatitis. Severe pancreatitis is life-threatening, and attention should also be paid to the sudden increase of this indicator.

　　Triglyceride levels in the human body are highly dependent on diet, and if you consume too much fat before a blood test, it may lead to a significant increase in triglyceride levels.

But elevated triglycerides decline over time, sometimes more than doubling over the course of a day.

　　Therefore, the first thing for people with elevated triglycerides is to control their diet,

　　Strictly abstain from alcohol, do not eat fried, fatty food.

　　Re-medication if lifestyle interventions are ineffective

　　For abnormal cholesterol and triglycerides, the medication regimen is different.

　　Statins are mainly used to lower cholesterol. The standard of medication for healthy people is that the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol exceeds 4.9mmol/L. For healthy people below this standard, they can be adjusted by diet control and increased exercise.

People with risk factors for cardiovascular disease should actively reduce LDL cholesterol to 1.8mmol/L, or even 1.4mmol/L.

Existing research shows that lower LDL cholesterol levels may have a better protective effect on the cardiovascular system.

　　Lower triglycerides mainly use fibrates.

Generally speaking, when triglyceride does not exceed 5.65mmol/L, medication is not recommended, and it can be adjusted through lifestyle interventions such as diet control and increased exercise.

Consider medication if there is no improvement after 3 months of life intervention.

　　In conclusion, elevated cholesterol is the main factor causing cardiovascular disease, and its harm is greater than that of elevated triglycerides.

Different groups of people have different requirements for LDL cholesterol levels, and patients need to decide whether to use drugs and which drugs to choose under the guidance of doctors.

　　Zeng Weihua (Special Popular Science Author: Deputy Chief Pharmacist of Anshan Central Hospital, Liaoning Province)