Total cholesterol can pose a health risk for you.

The fact is, if you have high triglycerides, there's a pretty good chance you also have high LDL and low HDL. High LDL and low HDL can increase your risk of heart disease. High triglyceride levels can also put you at risk for heart disease.

Learning who's at risk.

Unhealthy cholesterol and high triglyceride levels are equal opportunity offenders, which means almost anyone can be affected. However, there are some people who are more prone than others to be at risk.

People with diabetes tend to have low HDL and high triglyceride levels.

More than 50% of women have a total cholesterol of 200 or higher (which is considered high). High cholesterol can build plaque in arteries which can lead to heart disease.

Postmenopausal women are prone to having high triglyceride levels.

Some of the other risk factors for heart disease include:

• Age
  • Men who are 45 years and older
  • Women who are 55 years and older
• Family history of premature coronary heart disease (CHD)
• High blood pressure
• Cigarette smoking
• Low HDL cholesterol (below 40 mg/dL)
• If you have an HDL level of 60 mg/dL or more, one risk factor can be subtracted from the count.

According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), if you have type 2 diabetes you are considered to have a risk equal to that of people who already have coronary heart disease (CHD).