Understanding Cholesterol Numbers

Written by Katelyn Schwanke (last updated September 5, 2008)

Every person over the age of twenty should have a lipid profile (cholesterol screening) done at least once every five years. The next time you are screened for cholesterol levels, your doctor may provide you with several different values. Understanding what the various cholesterol values are will aid you in asking the right questions so that you can be as healthy as possible.

There are four basic categories that are addressed in a lipid profile:

  • Total cholesterol
  • LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
  • HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol)
  • Triglycerides

Before discussing appropriate ranges for each of the categories, it's important to understand what each category actually is. Total cholesterol is a number that reflects how much cholesterol, in total, is in your body. Total cholesterol is a comprehensive number, meaning that it is made up of all the other cholesterol categories.

LDL cholesterol is considered "bad" cholesterol because it represents the type of cholesterol that clogs up the inside of your veins and arteries. HDL cholesterol is considered "good" cholesterol because it decreases the amount of buildup inside your veins and arteries by transporting the LDL cholesterol back to the liver where it can be eliminated from the body. Triglycerides are your body's fat storage, if you have higher triglycerides than you have a higher amount of body fat.

Acceptable ranges for lipids have been established by the National Cholesterol Education Program. Desirable levels are less than 200 for triglycerides, less than 130 for LDL, 50 or higher for HDL, and less than 200 for total cholesterol.

Borderline levels are defined as triglyderides in the 200 to 399 range, LDL in the 130 to 159 range, HDL in the 40 to 49 range, and total cholesterol in the 200 to 239 range. Anything higer than these ranges (or lower in the case of HDL levels) is considered "high" and will probably be treated medically by your doctor.

If you have any further questions regarding your cholesterol levels, be sure to ask your doctor so that you know which areas of personal cholesterol you need to improve.

Author Bio

Katelyn Schwanke

MORE FROM KATELYN

Breast Cancer Treatments

If you or someone you know has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, there are a variety of very successful ...

Discover More

Recognizing an Asthma Attack

Recognizing symptoms of an asthma attack can help protect you or your child from serious respiratory complications. Be ...

Discover More

What is Childhood Asthma?

If your child exhibits symptoms of asthma they may in fact have childhood asthma. Although asthma is incurable there are ...

Discover More
More Health Tips

What is Good Cholesterol vs. Bad Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is necessary to aid in body function, but sometimes we collect too much of the wrong kind of cholesterol. It ...

Discover More

Raising Your Good Cholesterol

Your body contains good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. It is important to understand how to raise your good cholesterol ...

Discover More

Lowering Cholesterol Naturally

A few simple lifestyle changes can help you lower your cholesterol levels naturally. Lower cholesterol will help you live ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is three less than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)