Cholesterol is a steroid alcohol that is soft and fat-like, found in the blood. It is important for producing cell membranes and some hormones, as well as serving several other bodily functions. There are two types of cholesterol: low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL). Knowing your cholesterol reading is vitally important to your heart health.
Significance
Low density lipoproteins (LDL) are sticky and can get caught in the blood vessels and cause blockages, called arteriosclerosis. The blockages, if big enough, can restrict blood flow, causing heart attack or strokes. High density lipoproteins (HDL) are the good cholesterol. HDL is a hard molecule that acts like a wrecking ball and clears the LDL from blood vessels.
Total Cholesterol Levels
Doctors recommend a target of less than 200mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter of blood), which puts you at a lower risk for heart disease. A reading of 200 to 239mg/dl is considered borderline high. Above 240mg/dl is considered high and has twice the risk of heart disease as someone with low cholesterol levels.
HDL levels
When looking at HDL levels, the higher the better. Low HDL is considered less than 40 mg/dl for men and 50 mg/dl for women. Average ranges for men are 40 to 50 mg/dl vs. 50 to 60mg/dl for women. An HDL level of higher than 60mg/dl offers some protection against heart disease
LDL Levels
Higher levels of LDL are bad; less than 100mg/dl is considered optimal. A level of 100 to 129 mg/dl is near optimal/above optimal. An LDL of 130 to 159 mg/dl is borderline high, and 160 to 189 mg/dl is high. Above 190 mg/dl is very high.
Cholesterol Ratio
Physicians and cholesterol technicians maintain that the target ratio of total cholesterol to HDL should be below 5:1, with an optimum ratio of 3.5:1. Dietary cholesterol comes from animal products like meats, cheese, and whole milk.
