@Thomas,
Thomas wrote:
Miller wrote:You want total cholesterol to be less than 200.
By the way, you'll notice that in the calculation of total-cholesterol, a value for TG is included. This is standard practice.
I was surprised to hear that, so I double-checked it with printouts of my own bloodwork. The result is inconsistent with what Miller just said: True enough, my German and my American laboratory both give an upper limit of 200 for total cholesterol. But they also both do
not include Triglycerides in their definition of total cholesterol.
And that's how it should be: Triglycerides are emphatically
not a form of cholesterol. Indeed, we're talking about totally different classes of substances here: Cholesterol is a steroid, whereas Triglycerides are fats. Lumping together LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides under "total cholesterol" makes absolutely no sense. You might as well take Indian elephants, African elephants, and rabbits, then count them together as "total elephants". A quick look at the chemical structures will show you just how different the molecules are. They look nothing alike:
General chemical structure of triglycerides (source: Wikipedia)
Chemical structure of cholesterol (source: Wikipedia)
Determine Your Overall Cholesterol Level
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Step 1
Request that your doctor perform a lipid panel. This is the type of blood work used to determine the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides present in your bloodstream.
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Step 2
Remember to refrain from eating or drinking anything other than water for at least 12 hours before your blood is to be drawn. A good way to keep you on track and fasting is to schedule your cholesterol blood work first thing in the morning after your fast.
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Step 3
Expect to wait at least 1 week before your test results are ready. You can generally request that a copy of your results be sent to your home so you can calculate your total cholesterol on your own.
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Step 4
Review your test results and note that the levels of cholesterol or lipids in your blood are expressed as mg per decaliter, or mg/dl. This is the accepted unit of measurement for cholesterol and triglycerides.
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Step 5
Find the test results for your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. HDL refers to high-density lipoproteins, often characterized as "good" cholesterol, while LDL refers to low-density lipoproteins, the "bad" cholesterol that increases your risk for heart disease.
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Step 6
Look for a figure representing the total amount of triglycerides in your blood work. Triglycerides are another form of lipids or fats found in the blood stream which in high quantities may indicate an increased risk of heart disease.
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Step 7
Calculate your total cholesterol by adding your LDL and HDL levels together.
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Step 8
Divide your triglyceride level by 5 and add that to the sum of your HDL and LDL cholesterol levels. This final sum represents your total cholesterol.
According to this article the TG level is divided by 5. I thought it was 3, so I'll have to research this a bit more.
SOURCE:
www.ehow.com
SOURCE: Metabolite levels> Drug Information Handbook, 15th edition
