The human body contains varying amounts of different types of cholesterol that circulate in the blood. Carrying out a lipid profile helps clinicians to determine the amounts of every type of cholesterol in the blood, which is a significant step towards understanding the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases among many others. The panel test is done 9-12 hours after fasting to eliminate the effect of a recent meal on cholesterol amount (Hoogwerf & Huang, 2012). The lipid panel provides results for triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol. LDL is bad cholesterol because high values are associated with greater risks of developing chronic lifestyle diseases while HDL is good cholesterol because it helps reduce the LDL.
The best way to control each part of the lipid panel entails the adoption of a healthy eating lifestyle and cessation of tobacco product use. The principal aim is to lower the LDL and increase HDL amounts. According to Chitra, Reddy, and Balakrishna (2012), limiting alcohol consumption and abstaining from the use of tobacco products can help increase HDL and reduce LDL levels in the body. Both alcohol and tobacco products are associated with a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes because of their impact on increasing LDL in the blood. Additionally, intake of low-fat and high-sodium containing foods while eating a balanced diet that includes vegetables, whole-grain products, fruits, and lean sources of proteins is essential in controlling and achieving healthy cholesterol levels (Chitra, Reddy, & Balakrishna, 2012). Moreover, the performance of regular physical exercises contributes to gaining HDL and losing LDL.
The presence of metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes is an indicator of high and low levels of bad and good cholesterol respectively. In people with these health conditions, the primary goal is to find abnormal values outside the normal ranges of healthy cholesterol amounts. Jones, Nair, and Thakker (2012) explain that the standard range of triglyceride amount is <150mg/dL, LDL is <100mg/dL, and while HDL should be >50mg/dL for women and >40mg/dL for men. The optimal goal in the treatment of these diseases is to achieve the normal amounts of cholesterol with LDL being <70mg/dL (Eldor & Raz, 2009; Siddiqi et al., 2013). However, in the presence of these conditions, LDL and triglycerides are higher than the normal ranges while HDL is >100mg/dL.
Apart from lowering amounts of cholesterol in the blood by adopting a healthy lifestyle, statins are effective in controlling the lipids in patients with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis. Rosenson (2015) explains that statins are the most effective drugs for reducing LDL cholesterol and increasing HDL in the blood, something that helps prevent many chronic lifestyle diseases. Controlling these diseases involves the strict use of statins by effectively taking the medications following the prescription (Siddiqi et al., 2013). Such a thing helps the statins to act optimally to lower the progress of the health problems.
In conclusion, the amount of different types of cholesterol tested in the lipid panel determines the risk of developing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. The risk increases when LDL levels rise and HDL reduces. The best is to control each part of the lipid panel is through the adoption of healthy eating, abstinence from tobacco use and excessive consumption of alcohol, and maintain regular physical activity. In the presence of the associated diseases, the primary goal is to achieve the recommended healthy levels of each part of the lipid panel. Fortunately, statins are effective in controlling the lipids to achieve better patient outcomes.
References
Chitra, U., Reddy, N. K., & Balakrishna, N. (2012). Role of lifestyle variables on the lipid profile of selected South Indian subjects. Indian Heart Journal, 64(1), 28–34.
Eldor, R., & Raz, I. (2009). American Diabetes Association indications for statins in diabetes: Is there evidence? Diabetes Care, 32(2), 384–391.
Hoogwerf, B. J., & Huang, J. C. (2012). Cardiovascular disease prevention. Cleveland Clinic. Web.
Jones, P. H., Nair, R., & Thakker, K. M. (2012). Prevalence of dyslipidemia and lipid goal attainment in statin-treated subjects from 3 data sources: a retrospective analysis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 1(6).
Rosenson, R. S. (2015). Patient education: High cholesterol treatment options (Beyond the basics).
Siddiqi, S. S., Misbahuddin, Ahmad, F., Rahman, S. Z., & Khan, A. U. (2013). Dyslipidemic drugs in metabolic syndrome. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 17(3), 472–479.