What is cholesterol, and how does it affect heart health?
Cholesterol is a kind of fat in your blood that is naturally formed in your body. It is normal, and essential to certain cell functions. But the wrong amounts of cholesterol can be very bad for your heart and arteries.
There are different types of cholesterol. Each type affects your health differently.
The types of cholesterol
HDL cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol. HDL removes “bad” cholesterol from the body. HDL carries cholesterol from the arteries to the liver, which gets rid of it. Having high HDL cholesterol reduces the risk of heart disease. If your HDL is low, your doctor will try to raise it. With HDL, the higher, the better.
HDL cholesterol should be higher than 40 if you are a man, and higher than 50 if you are a woman. When your HDL cholesterol level rises over 60, it actually starts to counteract other risk factors—pushing your risk further down.
LDL cholesterol is known as “bad” cholesterol because it can build up on the walls of your arteries. The fatty deposits of LDL cholesterol attach to the walls of blood vessels, narrowing them over time. This clogs up blood flow, which can lead to heart attack and other problems. If your LDL cholesterol is high, your doctor will try to lower it.
Ideal LDL cholesterol is less than 100.
Triglycerides are a third kind of fat in the blood. Too high a level of triglycerides is also a risk factor for health problems.
Normal triglyceride levels are less than 150.
Your doctor measures all three cholesterol levels to calculate your total cholesterol score. If your total cholesterol is too high, your doctor will work with you to get it to target levels.
NCEP classifications of LDL, Total, and HDL Cholesterol
These are the guidelines for cholesterol levels established by the National Cholesterol Education Program. You can compare your cholesterol to these standards. A useful tool makes it easy.
| Total Cholesterol | |
| Less than 200 | Desirable |
| 200-239 | Borderline high |
| 240 and above | High |
| LDL Cholesterol | |
| Less than 100 | Optimal |
| 100-129 | Near optimal/above optimal |
| 130-159 | Borderline high |
| 160-189 | High |
| 190 and above | Very high |
| HDL Cholesterol | |
| Less than 40 (men) | Low |
| Less than 50 (women) | Low |
| 60 and above | Optimal |
| Triglyceride level | |
| Less than 150 | Normal |
| 150-199 | Borderline high |
| 200-499 | High |
| 500 and above | Very high |
