Conditions such as diabetes and kidney failure can be exacerbated by a diet that increases your triglyceride levels. Unused dietary calories become triglycerides that circulate in your bloodstream and negatively affect your blood cholesterol. This puts you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke.

Low cholesterol can be a good thing, depending on the type of cholesterol. One cholesterol type is the exception -- your high-density lipoprotein, or HDL. Unlike your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, and your total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol must be high to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Although you can control many factors that cause hypercholesterolemia, a lipid disorder marked by elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, unmanageable risks include your age, sex and genetics.

An active compound in the B vitamin niacin is a powerful cholesterol-lowering agent. Your doctor may prescribe nicotinic acid to improve your total blood lipid profile, meaning it can affect both forms of cholesterol and your triglyceride levels.

With the rates of preventable diseases increasing each year, you may be seeking a way to increase the amount of disease-fighting nutrients in your diet.

Triglycerides are lipids that circulate in the blood. Triglycerides are fats, and they are used by a cell to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is the energy currency of a cell. After the body consumes a meal with fats, the unused portions are transported to fat cells and stored as triglycerides.

Over the years, certain foods like peanuts have received bad press because they are relatively high in fat. That may be true. However, as it turns out, peanuts are composed of monounsaturated fats, the type of fat that lowers LDL, or the "bad" cholesterol.

After you reach a certain age or if you have risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease, your doctor may recommend a blood test to check your cholesterol levels. Generally, this blood test occurs after a 12-hour fast.

Triglycerides and cholesterol are both lipids (fats). They both circulate in the bloodstream and are escorted through the blood vessels by lipoproteins. High levels of either can cause heart and circulatory problems. The differences between the two are how they perform inside the body.

High cholesterol can cause skin lesions that look like fat deposits under the eyes. These lesions are called xanthelasma and appear as yellow, raised bumps. They most commonly occur on the inner canthus of the eyelid, which is the area closest to the nose. Xanthelasma can appear on the bottom and top eyelids.

Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels evaluate the functioning of the thyroid gland. TSH instructs the thyroid to produce thyroid hormone. High TSH levels indicate that the thyroid is underactive, and a low TSH means the thyroid is overactive.

Prednisone is a medication in the corticosteroid class of drugs. These medications can be used to treat a variety of different health problems. Taking high doses of prednisone or taking prednisone for a long period of time can cause side effects, including an increase in the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood.