Dyslipidemia

January 1, 2021

3 min read

Hyperlipidemia is the primary causative factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. It is a condition where there is an increased level of LDL or bad cholesterol and triglycerides and a decrease in HDL or good cholesterol.

Dietary modifications can improve serum lipids and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. In a study conducted by Tracy et al in the year 2016 to study the effectiveness of a brief dietetic intervention on CVD risk factors in hyperlipidaemic adults, it was found that there was a considerable reduction in total cholesterol, triglycerides, total energy intake, total sodium intake, total HDL cholesterol and improvement in dietary fat quality, body mass index (BMI) after a dietary intervention of 6 weeks¹.

The following are the ranges for lipid profile^2,3,4

HDL Cholesterol	Low Level, Increased Risk	Average Level, Average Risk	High Level, Less than Average Risk
Women	Less than 50 mg/dL	50-59 mg/dl	60 mg/dL or higher
Men	Less than 40 mg/dL	40-50 mg/dL	60 mg/dL or higher

Reference Range For Blood Lipids in Adults

Test	Optimal or Desirable	Near/Above Optimal	Borderline High	High	Very High
LDL Cholesterol	Less than 100 mg/dL; with CVD or diabetes: less than 70 mg/dL (1.81 mmol/L)	100-129 mg/dL	130-159 mg/dL	160-189 mg/dL	Greater than 190 mg/dL
Total Cholesterol	Less than 200 mg/dL		200-239 mg/dL	240 mg/dL or higher
Fasting Triglycerides	Less than 150 mg/dL		150-199 mg/dL	200-499 mg/dL	Greater than 500 mg/dL
Non-HDL Cholesterol	Less than 130 mg/dL	130-159 mg/dL	160-189 mg/dL	190-219 mg/dL	Greater than 220 mg/dL

Reference Range For Blood Lipids For Children And Young Adults

Age Group	Test	Acceptable (mg/dL)	Borderline (mg/dL)	High (mg/dL)
Children and Teens (ages 2 to 18)	Total Cholesterol	Less than 170	170-199	Greater than or equal to 200
	Non-HDL Cholesterol	Less than 120	120-144	Greater than or equal to 145
Young Adults (ages 19 to 24)	Total Cholesterol	Less than 190	190-224	Greater than or equal to 225
	Non-HDL Cholesterol	Less than 150	150-189	Greater than or equal to 190