total cholestterol 155 and HDL 27 LDL73 VLDL 56 triglycerides 278 this pressent how to imporve tn

Hi Subhash,

Okay, let me give you some tips to help improve your cholesterol levels.

First, your total cholesterol of 155 is good, you want to stay below 200.  Your HDL is low at 27.  HDL should be above 40 and ideally above 60.  LDL is great, keep it below 130.  VLDL and triglycerides are high.  You want triglycerides to be less than 200 (your MD may prefer less than 150) and VLDL less than 40.  So, what to do?

The best way to boost HDL is by increasing your physical activity, especially aerobic activities (walk, jog, bike, swim, etc.). 

In addition to being more active, limit unhealthy fats.  Look at your saturated fat and trans fat intake and see where you can make cuts.   Your total fat intake for the day should be limited to 30% of your daily calories.  Of this 30%, only 10% should be from saturated fat and ideally zero from trans fats. 

Adding heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids would be a benefit.  Here are three articles where you can learn more about using omega 3's - Get a Grip on Fatty Acids, Top 5 Omega 3 Sources to Lower Cholesterol, Omega 3's - How much to lower cholesterol?

Alcohol plays a role in raising HDL levels also.  I'm not a big advocate of using alcohol to raise HDL, so if you already consume alcohol 1-2 drinks per day can raise levels.  More than 1-2 drinks per day will increase your health problems.  If you do not drink, do not start.

Be sure to include sources high in fiber in your daily diet (especially soluble fiber), such as whole grain products, fruits, and vegetables daily.

Now, I'm going to refer you to an article I recently wrote for tips to lower your triglycerides.  VLDL is estimated based on triglycerides (VLDL = Triglycerides divided by 5, in your case 278 divided by 5 = 56); therefore, as you lower triglycerides, you'll also lower VLDL.

Here's a link to the article: Triglycerides: Why they matter and how to lower them

All the best,

Lisa Nelson, RD, LN

The Heart of Health ezine

It sounds like you are either eating an extremely low-fat, high carbohydrate diet or suffering from Syndrome X (aka insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome).  Both of these drop healthy HDL and raise triglycerides leaving you susceptible to heart disease (even with normal LDL).

You need to adjust your diet to include less carbs and more healthy protein and good fats.  Nobody knows exactly what macronutrient percentages provide optimum health, but if you eat a 1/3rd good fat, 1/3rd good carbs, 1/3rd healthy protein it should improve your situation.  And eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Good Fats - Monounsaturated (raises HDL, decreases LDL) and Polyunsaturated Fats (lower both HDL and LDL).  Basically stay away from saturated fat (beef), egg yolk (cholesterol) and trans fat (fried food, anything partially rehydrogenated).  You need to have 20-30% of your calories from CANOLA OIL (MONO), WALNUTS (OMEGA-6's), and FISH(OMEGA-3's).  Additionally, omega-6 and omega-3 fats are essential fatty acids that can't be produced by the body and must be ingested from fish and nuts.

Good Carbs - These are unrefined grains like brown rice, oatmeal, barley, and beans.  White bread, pasta, and white rice have all the fiber and vitamins removed and should be avoided.   30-50% of your calories should come from good carbs (less puts you in ketosis and more raises your triglycerides because the liver converts excess glucose to triglycerides for fat storage).

Good Protein - These are proteins low in saturated fat like egg whites, chicken, fish, and tofu.  Pork and beef have tons of saturated fat and raise both HDL and LDL.  Fish are extremely important because they have long chain omega-3's and iodine.  20-30% of calories is about right.

The easiest way to do this is oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast, fruits/nuts between meals, and stir fried veggies with brown rice with some meat for dinner/lunch (cook only with canola oil, it is mostly monounsaturated and has the highest smoke point which limits conversion to trans fat by heat).

Also exercise often and get your bodyweight close to its ideal (21-23 body mass index BMI).

Look up Jack Lalanne.  He's the only one of the old fitness gurus that is still alive at 94 (Fix had a heart attack and Atkins died from CHF/obesity).  He has it right about protein, carbs, and fruits/vegetables.  However, keep in mind that his low fat diet isn't perfect and that the importance of good fats (mono and poly) is a recent medical discovery.