[cheald]

My understanding is that for triglycerides, lower is basically better, outside of "extremely low as an indicator for disease". For example, https://academic.oup.com/clinchem/article/60/5/737/5621637 . Can you point me at reading on the lower bounds for them?

(I ask because my labs routinely show very low triglycerides - generally in the 65-70mg/dL range - which I've been told is a very good sign for heart health.)

[sph]

Triglycerides are a much better indicator of health. Cholesterol is not, and it comes in different sizes as well, all with their own significance.

In short, triglycerides should always be low, whatever your diet. Cholesterol depends on your diet: if lower carb, it is necessarily high, and is positively correlated with longevity. In higher carb, it means you are eating a lot of sugar w/ fat, which is terrible for your arteries and mitochondria, causing long term atherosclerosis and systemic metabolic syndrome.

It's all in the videos I've linked.

[flenserboy]

They should be low, but they will be high when fat is being burned. So if you get high numbers for them while you're in the middle of weight loss, it's not something to get too excited about at that time.