You can develop significant risks for heart disease, heart attack and stroke if you have too much LDL or "bad" cholesterol in your bloodstream. You can also develop heart disease risks if you have too little HDL or "good" cholesterol. Ideal values for LDL vary depending on the presence of other heart disease risks, while ideal levels of HDL can actively help you prevent heart disease.
Testing Basics
In addition to your separate levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol, doctors measure your cholesterol risks by gauging your overall cholesterol totals, according to MayoClinic.com. They also measure your levels of a potentially dangerous blood-borne fat called triglyceride. To gather these various values, your doctor will use a blood test called a lipid panel, or lipid profile. In the U.S., the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in a lipid profile are reported in milligrams per deciliter of blood, or mg/dL.
Ideal LDL Cholesterol
If you do not have any other heart disease risks, blood levels of LDL cholesterol between 100 and 129 mg/dL are considered more or less ideal, MayoClinic.com reports. If you have some additional risk for heart disease, you will ideally keep your LDL levels below 100 mg/dL. If you have high heart disease risks, you will ideally keep your LDL levels below 70 mg/dL. At the other end of the scale, the least ideal LDL results reach 190 mg/dL or higher. High levels of LDL fall in a range between 160 and 189 mg/dL, while borderline high levels range between 130 and 159 mg/dL. Ask your doctor about your specific heart disease risks.
Ideal HDL Cholesterol
Ideally, both men and women will have HDL levels that reach 60 mg/dL or higher, according to the American Heart Association, or AHA. Levels in this range will give you active protection against the development of heart disease. If you are female, an HDL level that falls below 50 mg/dL seriously raises your risks for the development of heart disease. Men with HDL levels below 40 mg/dL have similarly serious heart disease risks. Ask your doctor about specific steps you can take to increase your HDL levels.
Ideal Total Cholesterol
Ideally, your total cholesterol levels will fall below 200 mg/dL, the AHA reports. Levels that fall between 200 and 239 mg/dL are considered borderline high. If your total cholesterol level equals or exceeds 240 mg/dL, you have more than twice the risk for serious heart disease than someone who maintains total cholesterol at an ideal level. Be aware that high levels of HDL can increase your results on a total cholesterol test. If this is the case, you may not actually fall in a high-risk category.
Ideal Triglycerides
Your triglyceride totals should fall in the normal range of less than 150 mg/dL, the AHA notes. At the other end of the scale, the least ideal triglyceride levels reach 500 mg/dL or higher. If your triglyceride levels fall between 200 and 499 mg/dL, they are considered high. Borderline high triglyceride levels fall between 150 and 199 mg/dL. Consult your doctor for more information on appropriate cholesterol levels.
