Most individuals have their cholesterol checked at regular visits to the doctor's office. This helps your physician monitor your heart health; information about your cholesterol -- specifically your LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels -- allows your doctor to assess how likely you are to suffer from cardiovascular disease. Very high HDL levels -- such as levels above 80 -- are heart healthy.
Cholesterol
There are three separate measurements that your doctor takes when you have your cholesterol checked. LDL, or low-density lipoprotein, is commonly called "bad cholesterol," and your levels should be low. Triglycerides should also be low; these are circulating fats. HDL, or high-density lipoprotein, goes by the colloquial name "good cholesterol," and you want your levels to be high. Low LDL and triglycerides coupled with high HDL indicate low risk for cardiovascular disease.
HDL
Even though HDL is commonly called "good cholesterol," there aren't actually different types of cholesterol. Instead, HDL is a cholesterol transporter, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book "Human Physiology," and carries cholesterol from the cells to the liver for excretion. High levels of HDL indicate that your body is clearing cholesterol -- which can contribute to heart disease -- out of the cells. High levels of LDL, on the other hand, indicate that you're moving cholesterol from the liver into the bloodstream.
Levels
The American Heart Association doesn't set an upper limit on healthy HDL. Instead, the organization advises that high HDL -- levels over 60 mg/dL -- are healthy, and higher levels are healthier. An HDL of 80 would be considered quite high, and therefore very healthy. However, even if your HDL is high, a high LDL is considered unhealthy and a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. As such, you should look at both HDL and LDL when considering your heart disease risk.
Considerations
One of the confusing things about your cholesterol is that the American Heart Association recommends that your total cholesterol be less than 200 mg/dL, where total cholesterol is the sum of HDL, LDL and one-third of triglycerides. However, if your total cholesterol is borderline high or high because you have very high HDL -- and your LDL and triglycerides are low -- you're not at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. The individual measurements of subtypes of cholesterol are much more meaningful than total cholesterol.
References
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
- American Heart Association: HDL
