My Cholesterol Levels

I am 28 years old and weigh 140 pounds at 5'6.

I recently had a check up and found out that my choloesterol levels were okay except for the triglycerides.

I had a reading of 53 for the good cholesterol level,  86 for the other,  and then 190 for the triglycerides.

Is this high enough to cause a heart attack?  I am a bit scared since heart disease runs in my family.  I try to exercise daily although I do not always have enough time so I try to fit in at least 30 minutes every other day.  I am a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) so I am always on the go. I eat decent and try to have a balanced diet but I admit that I have a weakness for cookies.  

The last check up I had 56 for the good,  92 for the other,  and 130 for the triglycerides.

Any advice on what I can do to balance my levels out?  And like I said,  are my numbers high enough to cause a heart attack?

[Encephalomalcia]

Normal triglycerides are 150 or below.  We have a ton of heart disease and cancer in our family.  A lot of my relatives have died at young ages.  I asked my doctor what I could do about the risks that I have in my family history.  His advise was eat only when you are hungry and stop eating red meat.  I stopped eating beef and have not had any beef for 13 years now.  My triglyercides are at 35, my LDL is 79, and my HDL is 52.  I was surprised that my LDL dropped from 130 to 79, with eliminating beef from my diet.  Cut way back on fat and drink only skim milk.  Your triglyercides are not that far out of line, and I think you will be able to get them down with diet alone.  When the LDL and HDL levels are good and only the triglyercides levels are elevated, it is easier to get the triglyercides down.  If the LDL was high and triglyercides, it would be much harder to do alone with diet. (My husband's triglyercides are close to 400 and his mother's was 1000 and no heart attacks yet, so the levels can get quite high).  Also, if heart disease runs in your family, have your doctor check to see how much inflammation is in your body.  Inflammation in the arteries causes plaque to stick, no matter what the cholesterol levels.  Stay active, exercise, and watch your diet and you should see an improvement.