Cholesterol and triglycerides, which one is more harmful to the human body? How to reduce it?

A friend asked Huazi, when checking blood lipids, there are cholesterol and triglycerides in it, which one is more harmful to the human body? Huazi told him that compared with the two, cholesterol is the main cause of atherosclerosis, which will then induce coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction and other diseases, so elevated cholesterol is more dangerous than elevated triglycerides.

There are four main indicators in blood lipid test, namely total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). In clinical treatment, the two most noteworthy indicators are low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides.

1. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol is a standard for measuring risk. In traditional view, the level of total cholesterol is related to the risk of cardiovascular disease. But now there is a view that it is not accurate to use the total cholesterol level to measure the risk of blood lipids.

Because total cholesterol includes both low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The "low-density" is bad cholesterol, which is the main raw material for the core of atherosclerotic plaques; while the "high-density" is good cholesterol, which can transport cholesterol from blood vessels back to the liver for decomposition.

Therefore, when measuring blood lipid risk, the main focus is on the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).

2. What is the range of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol? It should be noted that the LDL-C level cannot be based on the reference value on the test report. Many people only look at whether there is an "arrow" on the test report after getting it, and whether it exceeds the standard range on the test report. However, the standard range of the test report can only be used as a reference for healthy people, and is not applicable to people with risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

What are the risk factors for cardiovascular disease? Hypertension, diabetes, men over 45 years old, women over 55 years old, smoking, family history of premature cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, etc.

Requirements for LDL-C levels:

Healthy people: LDL-C levels should be lower than 3.31mmol/L.

High-risk group: LDL-C level should be lower than 2.6mmol/L. High-risk group refers to people with diabetes, or hypertension and one of the above risk factors, or LDL-C level exceeds 4.9mmol/L without treatment.

Extremely high-risk group: LDL-C level should be lower than 1.8mmol/L. Extremely high-risk group refers to those who have suffered from myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, coronary heart disease, carotid artery stenosis of more than 50% and other diseases; or have diabetes and hypertension at the same time; or have diabetes and one of the above risk factors at the same time; or have three or more risk factors at the same time.

3. Beware of pancreatitis if triglycerides are elevated. The normal value of triglycerides (TG) is below 1.7mmol/L. 1.7-2.25mmol/L is considered marginally elevated, over 2.25mmo/L is elevated, and over 5.65mmol/L is considered severely elevated.

When triglycerides are elevated, the risk of cardiovascular disease will also increase, but the impact on cardiovascular disease is lower than that of cholesterol. When triglycerides are elevated, it is easy to induce pancreatitis. Severe pancreatitis is life-threatening and needs to be prevented.

The triglyceride level in the human body is highly correlated with diet. If the diet is too oily before the test, the triglyceride level may directly "explode". However, as time goes by, the elevated triglyceride will decrease again. In a day, the triglyceride level will more than double.

Therefore, people with elevated triglycerides should pay attention to diet control, strictly abstain from alcohol, and avoid eating fried or greasy foods.

4. The drugs used to lower cholesterol and lower triglycerides are different. The drugs used to lower cholesterol are mainly statins, which can lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cholesterol, but their effect on lowering cholesterol is weak. Generally speaking, the standard for healthy people to use drugs is that the LDL-C level exceeds 4.9mmol/L. Healthy people below this standard can adjust their levels through diet control, increased exercise, etc.

People at risk of cardiovascular disease should actively lower their LDL-C to 1.8mmol/L, or even to 1.4mmol/L. Current research shows that lower LDL-C levels can have a better protective effect on the cardiovascular system.

The medications used to lower triglycerides are mainly fibrates, which are mainly used to lower triglycerides and have a weaker effect on lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Generally speaking, when triglycerides do not exceed 5.65mmol/L, medication is not recommended. It can be adjusted through lifestyle interventions such as diet control and increased exercise. If there is still no improvement after 3 months of lifestyle intervention, consider using medication.

If cholesterol and triglycerides are elevated at the same time, statins and fibrates can also be used together. Take fibrates in the morning and statins before going to bed at night. However, when the two are used together, the adverse reactions increase. Be careful of muscle damage. If muscle pain or fatigue occurs, seek medical attention immediately.

To sum up, from the perspective of harmfulness, elevated cholesterol is the main factor causing cardiovascular disease, and its harmfulness to the human body is greater than elevated triglycerides. People with different risk factors have different requirements for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. People with elevated triglycerides should beware of the occurrence of pancreatitis. Those who need medication should choose medication under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about medication, please consult a doctor or pharmacist. I am pharmacist Huazi. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.