Blood lipids is the name for all fatty substances in the blood including:

1. Cholesterol
2. Triglycerides

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is a fatty substance, which is mainly made in the body. The liver makes it from the saturated fats in food.

Very little cholesterol is found in foods, except for:

• Eggs
• Liver
• Kidneys
• Seafood

Cholesterol plays a vital role in how every cell wall works throughout the body. It is also material which the body utilises to make other vital chemicals. However too much cholesterol in the blood can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
Excess Cholesterol is produced by the body if:

• Diet rich in high saturated fats
• Genetic tendency to have a high cholesterol level (familial hyperlipidaemia)

Cholesterol is transported to the blood cells using the blood circulation system made up of proteins. The combinations of cholesterol and proteins are called lipoproteins.

The cells that require cholesterol regulate the amount of cholesterol removed from the blood circulation. If there is a high level of Cholesterol in the blood, the artery walls take up too much of the low –density lipoproteins. The risk of this happening is higher if there is history of smoking and high blood pressure.
 The two main lipoproteins are:

• Bad Cholesterol - Low -density lipoproteins (LDL), which carry cholesterol from the liver to the cells.
• Good Cholesterol- High- density lipoproteins (HDL), which return the extra cholesterol that is not needed to the liver.

Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body. They're also present in blood plasma and, in association with cholesterol, form the plasma lipids. 

Triglycerides in plasma are derived from fats eaten in foods or made in the body from other energy sources like carbohydrates. Calories ingested in a meal and not used immediately by tissues are converted to triglycerides and transported to fat cells to be stored. Hormones regulate the release of triglycerides from fat tissue so they meet the body's needs for energy between meals.

High levels of both triglycerides and blood cholesterol have a greater risk of heart disease

The most common cause of high cholesterol is:

• Saturated fat in diet
• Under-active thyroid gland
• Chronic kidney failure
• Alcohol Abuse
• Genetically inherited (familial hyperlipidaemia)

In people with familial hyperlipidaemia the LDL cholesterol is removed from the blood circulation works only about half as effectively as normal.  It is always inherited from a parent. Many people with familial hyperlipidaemia are not obese and may not have any risk factors for heat disease, but if a person has familial hyperlipidaemia, it is very important to screen all the children, by the time the child is five because at this age, healthy eating is important.

Familial hyperlipidaemia is unlikely to respond to diet and lifestyle changes alone, and many people need to take cholesterol –lowering drugs as well as keeping a healthy diet.

To find out if one has high lipids, a simple blood test performed after a 12 hour fast is required.

Ideal Lipid profile is:

• A total cholesterol level under 5mmol/l
• An LDL under 3mmol/l
• An HDL level above 1mmol/l
• A triglyceride level under 2mmol/l

The risk for coronary heart disease can be measured by the ratio of the total cholesterol to the ratio of HDL cholesterol level. Higher the ratio, greater risk of heart disease.  Ideal level to aim for is below 4.5

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