What do your Cholesterol Levels Mean?

Cholesterol lowering is important for young, middle-aged and older adults. One out of every two men and one out of every three women will develop heart disease sometime in their life. You can reduce your risk of having a heart attack by lowering your cholesterol level. See the chart to find out what your cholesterol levels mean.

Total Cholesterol (mg/dL)
< 200	Desirable
200–239	Borderline high
> 240	High

LDL Cholesterol (mg/dL)*
< 100	Optimal
100–129	Near optimal/above optimal
130–159	Borderline high
160–189	High
190	Very high

* LDL Cholesterol is bad cholesterol. It’s the main source of cholesterol build-up and blockage in the arteries.

HDL Cholesterol (mg/dL)**
< 40	Low
> 60	High

** HDL Cholesterol is good cholesterol. It helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries, protecting you against heart disease.
So for HDL, the higher the number the better.

Treating High Cholesterol

The main goal of cholesterol-lowering treatment is to lower your LDL level enough to reduce your risk of developing or having a heart attack.

These are things you can do something about:

Diet

Reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in your diet.

Weight

Losing weight can help lower your LDL and total cholesterol levels, as well as raise your HDL and lower your triglyceride levels.

Physical Activity

Regular physical activity can help lower your LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol levels. You should try to be active for 30 minutes a day.