Cholesterol

A shocking number of Americans have high cholesterol numbers. The National Cholesterol Education Program estimates that at least 65 million Americans have high cholesterol, which puts them at risk for heart disease and other health problems.

The body contains good and bad types of cholesterol. The bad type, called LDL cholesterol, is exacerbated by poor diet choices and a sedentary lifestyle. Good cholesterol levels can be bolstered by certain diet choices and exercise. If your doctor thinks you might have high cholesterol, he or she will likely perform a blood test, called a lipid panel, and assess your family history, lifestyle and diet.

The blood test will test several things, most notably LDL levels (bad cholesterol); HDL (good cholesterol) and triglycerides, which are fats in the blood created from extra calories (fat in foods and sugar converted in the body). The numbers are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood.

When reviewing your LDL levels, remember this is the bad type of cholesterol that can contribute to the risk of heart disease. A reading of less than 100 mg/dL is optimal; 100-129 mg/dL is near optimal or above normal; 130-159 mg/dL is considered borderline high; 160-189 mg/dL is high; and 190 and above is very high. Keeping your LDL levels low is critical to overall heart health. If you have diabetes or other risk factors, doctors will likely suggest your LDL should stay under 100.

The next item to review is the HDL numbers. This type of cholesterol is good for the body and the higher the number, the better. It helps keep your arteries from clogging. If you have a reading of 60 and above, this is considered high or optimal and suggests you have a lower risk of heart disease. However, for females, a reading of less than 50 puts you at low risk and is considered a desirable range. The number should be less than 40 for men.

In addition, doctors will evaluate your triglyceride level. Put simply, triglycerides are the chemical make-up of fat in everyone’s bodies. They have been known to contribute to heart related issues and high cholesterol, so therefore they are addressed in the cholesterol test. If you triglyceride number (again measured in mg/dL) is less than 150, that is considered normal; 150-199 is borderline high; 200-499 is high; and 500 or higher is very dangerous.

The test will also determine a total cholesterol number. Total cholesterol considers the LDL, HDL and triglycerides levels into one assessment. The total cholesterol also may include Lp(a) cholesterol, which is a variation of the bad cholesterol, LDL, and measures the risk factor of the development of excess cholesterol in your cells.

A total cholesterol number that is less than 200 is very desirable. Doctors recommend that your total cholesterol remain under 200 to stay heart healthy. If the numbers reach into the 200-239 range, this could be considered borderline high. Further, if your total cholesterol number is more than 240, this is a serious indication of risk of heart disease and a treatment plan should be considered.

Cholesterol numbers can be controlled through diet and exercise. Remember, cholesterol comes from animal products. So when making your diet choices, it’s smart to chose many fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy. An easy way to determine if something is low or cholesterol free is to determine if the food is plant or animal based – food from plants is naturally cholesterol free. However, diet and exercise may also need to be supplemented by medication prescribed by your doctor, depending on the severity of your cholesterol issue.