High cholesterol afflicts millions of Americans. It is important to understand how your cholesterol levels are determined to more closely monitor your health. A more comprehensive understanding will make managing your lifestyle easier and may improve your success in lowering your cholesterol.
Total Cholesterol
Although your total cholesterol is a tool for determining your risk of heart disease, it does not tell the entire story. Your doctor will use this number as an indicator of your risk, but will more closely examine and discuss the impact each individual level has on your health. Your total cholesterol is calculated by dividing your triglycerides by 5 and adding that to the sum of your HDL and LDL levels. Ideally, this number should be below 200mg/dl. Anything above 240mg/dl is a red flag for an increased risk of heart disease.
LDL Levels
Low Density Lipoproteins, or LDL, is commonly referred to as "bad" cholesterol. This is the cholesterol that is dangerous to the heart and contributes to an increased risk of heart disease. A desirable LDL cholesterol level is less than 130mg/dl, however most healthy individuals fall within the 60 to 140mg/dl range.
HDL Levels
High Density Lipoproteins or HDL is known to most individuals as "good" cholesterol. This is the cholesterol with the highest amount of protein. It roams your bloodstream picking up excess cholesterol and transporting it back to the liver for excretion. Due to this wondorous clean-up effect, you want higher levels of HDL, aiming for nothing less than 60mg/dl.
Triglyceride Levels
Free fatty acids floating in your bloodstream are the highest contributor to the production of triglycerides, or the excess fat stored in your adipose tissues, or fat cells. While some fats are necessary for the body to properly function, triglyceride levels are raised by a high intake of saturated fat, sugars, and alcohol. Most doctors would like to see this number no greater than 150mg/dl. Anything over 200mg/dl is considered high, and puts you at a greater risk for heart disease.
