You can interpret your cholesterol figures and reduce your risk of heart attack. More than 102 million adults in the United States has high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these Americans have levels high enough to put them at risk for developing heart disease. Understanding the different types of cholesterol and the effect they have on your body can help you lead a healthier life.
Step 1
Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss your risks of having high cholesterol, including obesity, smoking and poor diet. Your doctor will order a lipid profile, which measures the several types of cholesterol in your blood. Ask the laboratory technician to send a copy of the results to your home so you can interpret the cholesterol figures.
Step 2
Review the lipid profile results, including total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. You will find your test results along with normal values.
Step 3
Look at your total cholesterol result. Healthiest total cholesterol should measure less than 200 mg/dL, according to LabTestsOnline.org. A total cholesterol level over 240 mg/dL raises the risk for heart disease, which could include a heart attack.
Step 4
Read your LDL cholesterol. High levels of LDL are associated with high risk of coronary disease. Your LDL should be below 100 mg/dL. You are at elevated risk for conditions associate with heart disease, like high blood pressure and heart attack, if your LDL is over 160 g/dL. A poor diet, including lots of cholesterol and fats, raises your LDL.
Step 5
Learn about HDL, sometimes called "good cholesterol". HDL searches for excess LDL to transport to the liver. A high HDL level is good because it lowers LDL. An HDL level above 60 mg/dL presents the least risk for heart disease. A man whose HDL is below 40 mg/dL has an elevated risk of heart disease, as is a woman with an HDL below 50 mg/dL. Certain foods, like fish and oatmeal, can raise HDL levels.
Step 6
Locate your triglyceride results and compare them to normal values. Triglycerides less than 150 mg/dL are optimal, and results over 200 mg/dL are high. A poor diet, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle increase triglyceride levels.
Step 7
Review the role of different cholesterols within the body. Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance created in your liver and consumed in some of the foods you eat. Cholesterol is important in the creation of cells and for the manufacture of some hormones. Some of the food you eat it is converted to cholesterol to be used immediately by the body. If you have eaten more than your body needs, your body converts the excess carbohydrates into triglycerides that are stored in fat cells until you need them. Excess LDL cholesterol can build up in the blood stream, accumulating inside the walls of blood vessels, which leads to heart disease. HDL reduces the LDL in your bloodstream.
