It can be very confusing for sure when talking about your cholesterol numbers. We will simplify that here, talking in terms that you will be able to understand.
First of all, your cholesterol results will be measured in mg/dl, which stands for milligrams per decilitre of blood, the unit of measure for this test. Your results will show four different levels, which of course leads to a great deal of confusion. These levels are
- total blood cholesterol level, or blood serum level
- high density lipoproteins or HDL, the good cholesterol
- low density lipoproteins or LDL, the bad cholesterol, and
- triglyceride level.
Okay, let’s take these in order.
Total Blood Cholesterol Level, Or Blood Serum Level
If your other results are shown to be at desirable levels, and your total blood cholesterol level is below 200mg/dl, then you are at a low risk, relatively, for heart disease, provided there are no other risk factors that you have to put you at a higher risk.
If this result is between 200mg/dl and 239mg/dl, then you are considered to be borderline high risk. Your doctor will look at the other results, because it is possible to be borderline high risk, while having normal LDL levels being balanced by high HDLs. However, being borderline high risk means you should be eating a low cholesterol diet to prevent your readings getting worse, but more to the point, to prevent heart damage.
Should your total blood cholesterol be over 240 mg/dl, then you are basically at risk of coronary heart disease, and this risk is typically double that for those people whose results show under 200mg/dl, the desirable level. You need to talk to your doctor about how you can lower this number, and how quickly too, and this may involve taking prescription medications recommended by your doctor.
High Density Lipoproteins Or HDL
The Good Cholesterol For this reading, the higher your number is the better off you are. If your result is under 50mg/dl for a woman, or under 50mg/dl for a man, then your are at a higher risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.
For the average woman, this HDL is between 50 and 60 mg/dl, for men the average is 40mg/dl to 50mg/dl.
If you are a smoker, or you are over weight, or you have a sedentary lifestyle, or in the extreme case all three of these, then your HDL is being influenced by these situations, and your numbers are likely to be much lower than they need to be. By stopping smoking, by losing weight, and by exercising 3 or 4 times a week, you should be able to easily raise your HDL levels to a more acceptable range.
It should be noted, that if you have high blood triglyerides, then you are more likely to have lower HDL levels, and with that you are more at risk for strokes or heart attack.
Low Density Lipoproteins Or LDL, The Bad Cholesterol
For this result, the lower your LDL, the lower your risk of heart problems, and this is generally a much more accurate indicator of heart health than the total blood cholesterol. Ideally, you want this number to be less than 100mg/dl. If it is between 100mg/dl to 129mg/dl, then it is close to optimal, while 130mg/dl to 159mg/dl is borderline on being too high. Should it be between 160mg/dl to 189mg/dl then your result is said to be high, with any result above 190mg/dl being very high and your risk for heart problems is correspondingly high. With this risk you need to react immediately, and discuss with your doctor what you can do to lower your risk of heart problems, and this should be done as soon as possible.
Triglyceride Level
Now the final numbers reflect your triglyceride level, triglyceride being a form of fat. People who have this level high often have a high total cholesterol level too, as well as high LDLs,(the bad cholesterol), and low HDLs (the good levels of cholesterol).
When you look at the actual numbers, normal is anything less than 150mg/dl, borderline high is between 150 and 199mg/dl, with high going between 200 mg/dl to 499mg/dl, and very high being in the region above 500mg/dl.
The way to reduce your triglycerides is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, with no smoking, plenty of exercise, a healthy low cholesterol diet, and a loss of weight if you are over weight.
The good news about getting your cholesterol checked, is that once you know the levels, you can work on improving then by eating low cholesterol foods, exercising regularly, not drinking excessively, and not smoking. There are foods that will help you to get your cholesterol to more acceptable levels, and it just takes a bit of effort. If you are not prepared to do this, then you can expect to start suffering with heart problems, like heart attacks and strokes, and all the unpleasantness associated with this, but of course, the choice is very much up to you!
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