Cholesterol generally increases with age. You have "excellent protection" against heart disease if your cholesterol level is 210mg/dL and you are age 60 or older, reports "Controlling Cholesterol." However, you are at high risk of heart disease if your cholesterol level is 210mg/dL and you are 20 to 39 years old because the risk charts are based on the fact that the average person's cholesterol increases over the years.
Age Affects Women More
Women have much less total and bad cholesterol than men before age 50 because of their bodies' estrogen, but menopause causes their cholesterol to soar. According to "The Well Adult," menopause occurs on average at age 51. Women's median total and bad cholesterol rises from 194 and 136mg/dL, respectively, when they are 40 to 49 years old to 219 and 159mg/dL when they are 50 to 59. Men's total and bad cholesterol increases 3mg/dL during the same 10 years, reports "Controlling Cholesterol."
Age Doesn't Hurt Good Cholesterol
Good cholesterol, also known as HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, is unaffected by aging in men and improves among women. According to "Controlling Cholesterol," men's median HDL cholesterol is 43 before the age of 30, 42 between ages 30 and 39, 43 between 40 and 49, 43 between 50 and 59, and 44 after the age of 60. Women's median HDL cholesterol for those age groups is 53, 57, 58, 60 and 62. You can improve your HDL cholesterol by exercising, not smoking and eating less fat.
Age Does Hurt Bad Cholesterol
Aging harms bad cholesterol, also known as LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, because LDL receptors become less active over time, reports "Controlling Cholesterol." LDL receptors remove LDL cholesterol from your blood. Less active receptors cause LDL cholesterol to become plaque that sticks on blood vessel walls. This causes atherosclerosis. However, "Controlling Cholesterol" also reports that LDL cholesterol is more affected by body fat percentage than aging.
Non-Age Factors
Aging harms total cholesterol because of its impact on bad cholesterol. Nevertheless, the National Cholesterol Education Program urges adults of all ages to try to lower their total cholesterol to below 200mg/dL and their LDL cholesterol to below 100 via diet, exercise, weight loss, blood pressure control and, if necessary, medication.
Checking Your Cholesterol
As you age, you should have your cholesterol checked every two to three years, recommends "Controlling Cholesterol." If your cholesterol levels are bad, you should make lifestyle changes and re-check your cholesterol within three to six months and make more radical changes if the first series of changes didn't work.
Age vs. Risk
According to "Controlling Cholesterol," men are at high risk of heart disease if their total cholesterol is between 203 and 225 while they are 20 to 39 years old, 234 to 257 while they are 40 to 59, and 241 to 262 after age 60. Women are at high risk if their total cholesterol is 198 to 220 while they are age 20 to 39, 236 to 259 while they are 40 to 59, and 253 to 276 after 60. You're at very high risk at higher numbers.
References
- Controlling Cholesterol; Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper; 1989
- The Well Adult; Dr. Mike Samuels and Nancy Samuels; 1988
- The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure; Robert E. Kowalski; 1989
- National Cholesterol Education Program: High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know
