Triglycerides store fat, and too many of them in your blood signal a risk for heart attack and stroke. For your brain health, it’s best to keep triglycerides at normal levels. They are measured as part of a full lipoprotein profile.
For triglycerides:
- Normal: less than 150 mg/dL
- Borderline high: 150–199 mg/dL
- High: 200–499 mg/dL
- Very high: 500 mg/dL or above
When it comes to trying to lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, food choices are key. Foods that increase LDL also increase triglycerides. A combination of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, regular physical activity, and a healthy weight can help you lower your total cholesterol as well as raise your HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your LDL, and lower your triglycerides. It is important to focus on your cholesterol intake as well as your saturated fat intake, which often occur together in foods. Cholesterol and most saturated fats come only from animal foods. Even though some foods of plant origin are high in fat or saturated fat, all plant foods are cholesterol free. Nuts, for example, are high in fat—mostly unsaturated fat—but are cholesterol free.