Cholesterol: The Good, The Bad, And The Triglycerides
(continued)
AHA Recommendations For Cholesterol in Adults:
Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol.
Yet it is also important to know your HDL and LDL levels as well. In adults,
cholesterol is classified by levels. Your doctor must interpret your cholesterol
numbers based on other risk factors. General guidelines are given below.
You may hear people talk about their "cholesterol ratio" (your total cholesterol
divided by your HDL), but the AHA recommends that the absolute numbers for total
blood cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol levels be used. They are more useful
to the physician than the cholesterol ratio in determining appropriate interventions.
For those who do get "ratio" numbers from their doctors, your goal is to keep
the ratio below 5:1; the ideal ratio is 3.5:1.
TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS:
HIGH RISK: 240 mg/dl or higher
BORDERLINE HIGH RISK: from 200 to 239 mg/dl
DESIRABLE: Less than 200 mg/Dl
HDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS:
HIGH RISK: Less than 35 mg/dl
DESIRABLE: Above 35 mg/dl
**With HDL, we generally consider that the higher the level, the better the
result.
While elevated total cholesterol is stereotypically considered more of an issue
for men than women, recent studies show that more women than men have total
blood cholesterol of 200 mg/dl or higher beginning at age 50.
LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS:
HIGH RISK: 160 mg/dl or higher
BORDERLINE HIGH RISK: 130-159 mg/dl
DESIRABLE: less than 130