 [ Symptoms ] total cholesterol 268  triglycerides 238  hdl 49  vldl cholest cal 48  ldl 171  are these counts serious [ Disease ] according to the american heart association a total cholesterol over 240 doubles your risk of heart disease compared to someone with a total cholesterol of 200 what adds to your risk is your high triglycerides combined with a high ldl bad cholesterol your hdl does not put you at increased risk but having a high hdl 60 or higher is protective against heart disease so yes you should take these numbers seriously the good news is there is much you can do to improve your numbers including eating a healthy diet exercising and watching added sugars and alcohol consumption for cholesterol basics see this article and for more on what those numbers mean see this one take care of yourself