What are High Cholesterol and Triglyceride Levels?
While fats (lipids) play a vital role in the body s metabolic processes, high blood levels of fats a condition known as hyperlipidemia increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Two common lipid abnormalities are characterized either by high blood cholesterol levels (hypercholesterolemia) or high blood levels of triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia). Cholesterol is manufactured primarily in the liver and then carried in the bloodstream by low density lipoprotein (LDL). (Because cholesterol and other fats do not dissolve in water, they cannot travel through the blood unaided. Lipoproteins are particles formed in the liver to transport cholesterol and other fats through the bloodstream.) Cholesterol is returned to the liver from other body cells by another lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein (HDL). From there, cholesterol is secreted into the bile, either unchanged or after conversion to bile acids. Cholesterol is essential for the formation of cell membranes and the manufacture of se
