Cholesterol Tests: Understanding What Your Results Mean (2023)

FAQs

How do I read my cholesterol test results? ›

A cholesterol test is a blood test that measures the amount of cholesterol and certain fats in your blood. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance that's found in your blood and every cell of your body. You need some cholesterol to keep your cells and organs healthy.

Most healthcare providers want the ratio to be below 5:1. A ratio below 3.5:1 is considered very good.

For good health, your triglyceride level should be less than 150 mg/dL. Borderline high levels are 150 to 199 mg/dL. High is 200 to 499 mg/dL. Very high is 500 mg/dL and greater.

Doctors may not express concern about levels of 100–129 mg/dl for people with no health issues, but they may suggest treatment at this stage for people with heart disease or its risk factors. If a person's reading is 130–159 mg/dl, it is borderline high, while readings of 160–189 mg/dl are high.

Your HDL (“good” cholesterol) is the one number you want to be high (ideally above 60). Your LDL (“bad” cholesterol) should be below 100. Your total should be below 200. Talk with your provider about what your results mean for you and how to manage your cholesterol.

Levels of LDL cholesterol higher than 130 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) are linked to an increased risk for ischemic stroke.

For most healthy adults (19 and older), your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL, your LDL less than 100 mg/dL, and your HDL greater than 40 mg/dL. For children (19 and younger), total cholesterol should be less than 170 mg/dL, LDL less than 110 mg/dL, and HDL greater than 45 mg/dL.

Does cholesterol test show blocked arteries? ›

A cholesterol test can help determine your risk of the buildup of fatty deposits (plaques) in your arteries that can lead to narrowed or blocked arteries throughout your body (atherosclerosis).

It can take up to 70 hours for a meal to be completely digested. But it is unlikely that foods eaten more than 12 hours before the test will have a significant effect on the results of a cholesterol test, Go Ask Alice explains.

Remember the triglyceride to HDL ratio is the stronger predictor of heart disease, much more so than “just” high cholesterol and LDL/HDL ratios. It is important to understand there are other predictors and not just “high” cholesterol that indicate a potential problem.

Here's a breakdown of LDL cholesterol levels and health: Less than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) – if you're at very high risk for a heart attack or had a heart attack. Less than 100 mg/dL – normal/optimal. 100 to 129 mg/dL – near or above the optimal.

For predicting your risk of heart disease, many doctors now believe that determining your non-HDL cholesterol level may be more useful than calculating your cholesterol ratio.

Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L) High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol/L) Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or above)

A healthy number for triglycerides is below 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Your healthcare provider classifies high triglyceride levels as: Mild: 150-199 mg/dL. Moderate: 200-499 mg/dL. Severe: Greater than 500 mg/dL.

A level of 180 mg/dL is considered high. Although cholesterol serves several important functions, high LDL cholesterol puts you at greater risk for heart disease. While high cholesterol is typically related to diet and lifestyle factors, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) can also cause high cholesterol.

What are normal cholesterol levels? We say that a total cholesterol less than 170 is good. Anything between 170 and 199 is considered borderline and anything more than 200 is considered high. The total cholesterol is the HDL, LDL and a fraction of your triglycerides – another type of fat found in your blood.

What is considered high cholesterol for seniors? ›

Generally speaking, it's recommended that an individual's total cholesterol levels (including HDL, LDL and triglycerides) remain lower than 200 mg/dL. Cholesterol levels of 200-239 mg/dL are considered borderline high, while levels of 240 mg/dL and above are considered high risk.

What can a person eat the night before? If a healthcare professional has asked a person to fast, they should not consume anything other than water the night before a cholesterol test. Fasting means that a person can only consume water for the hours before their test.

Cholesterol is a natural component in everyone's blood, and supports functions within the body. It's only when bad cholesterol causes plaque to build up in your arteries that it's considered a major risk factor for heart attack, heart disease and stroke.

Can High Cholesterol Make Me Tired? No, high cholesterol doesn't usually cause fatigue, but it can lead to heart diseases, such as coronary artery disease, that do. With this heart condition, excess LDL builds up as plaque in your heart's small arteries, causing them to narrow and stiffen.

Eating healthy, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water will help to bring down cholesterol levels within 2-3 weeks.

Oatmeal, oat bran and high-fiber foods

Soluble fiber is also found in such foods as kidney beans, Brussels sprouts, apples and pears. Soluble fiber can reduce the absorption of cholesterol into your bloodstream. Five to 10 grams or more of soluble fiber a day decreases your LDL cholesterol.

While coffee does not contain cholesterol, it can affect cholesterol levels. The diterpenes in coffee suppress the body's production of substances involved in cholesterol breakdown, causing cholesterol to increase. Specifically, coffee diterpenes may cause an increase in total cholesterol and LDL levels.

Dr. Lisa Matzer: Stress is known to increase cholesterol levels and in particular the bad LDL cholesterol. The amount of stress in your life isn't as important as how you deal with it. The more anger and hostility that stress produces in you, the higher (and worse) your LDL and triglyceride levels tend to be.

If you see yellowish-orange growths on your skin, you may have deposits of cholesterol under your skin. These painless deposits can appear in many areas, including the corners of your eyes, lines on your palms, or the backs of your lower legs. If you notice these growths on any area of your skin, see your doctor.

An ideal total cholesterol level ranges from 140 to 200mg/dl. When it reaches 300, the risk of having a heart attack more than doubles.

What should a 70 year old cholesterol be? ›

After having their cholesterol tested, seniors should be given a number between 190 and 260. Healthy seniors should keep their total cholesterol below 200 and their LDL cholesterol around 100. If your elderly loved one's LDL cholesterol level is above 160, he or she must start making sweeping lifestyle changes.

Optimal Vitamin K₂ intake is crucial to avoid the calcium plaque buildup of atherosclerosis, thus keeping the risk and rate of calcification as low as possible. Matrix GLA protein (MGP)—found in the tissues of the heart, kidneys, and lungs—plays a dominant role in vascular calcium metabolism.

High cholesterol early symptom: Spasms or leg cramps could be the first noticeable sign of clogged arteries.

A study of the short-term effects of taking vitamin D supplements reported that doing so increased levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.

Eating a lot of foods high in saturated fats raises “bad” LDL cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are found in fatty cuts of meat and dairy products. No more than 10% of your daily calories should come from saturated fats. Smoking lowers HDL cholesterol, particularly in women, and raises LDL cholesterol.

How quickly does oatmeal lower cholesterol? Current evidence suggests daily oatmeal intake can lower cholesterol in five to six weeks. [10] However, some studies report significant declines in total and LDL cholesterol in as short as four weeks.

When levels are too high, fatty deposits are more likely to build up in the arteries, which raises the risk of heart problems. In fact, high triglycerides are as dangerous as bad cholesterol when it comes to this risk.

When you have low triglyceride levels but high LDL levels, it could indicate that you have a diet filled with healthy fats. Healthy fats will not only cause an increase in good cholesterol (HDL) but can also change the type of the LDL particles in the blood.

Which is worse to have high LDL or HDL? ›

As a general rule, HDL is considered “good” cholesterol, while LDL is considered “bad.” This is because HDL carries cholesterol to your liver, where it can be removed from your bloodstream before it builds up in your arteries.

A number of studies have linked short-term sleep deprivation with several well-known risk factors for heart disease, including higher cholesterol levels, higher triglyceride levels, and higher blood pressure.

Most adults should keep their LDL below 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). If you have a history of atherosclerosis, your LDL should be below 70 mg/dL. What is a bad level for LDL? An LDL level above 100 mg/dL raises your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Age Related Changes to Cholesterol. Previous research indicates that total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels increase with age among young and middle age adults and decline with age later in life [19,20,21,22,23,24].

The following levels are considered to be "good" in healthy people: Total cholesterol: Levels below 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L) LDL cholesterol: Levels below 130 mg/dL (3.4 mmol/L) HDL cholesterol: Levels above 40 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) in men and above 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) in women.

Your cholesterol numbers show how much cholesterol is circulating in your blood. Your HDL (“good” cholesterol) is the one number you want to be high (ideally above 60). Your LDL (“bad” cholesterol) should be below 100. Your total should be below 200.

A total cholesterol level of less than 200 mg/dL (5.17 mmol/L) is normal. A total cholesterol level of 200 to 239 mg/dL (5.17 to 6.18 mmol/L) is borderline high. A total cholesterol level of 240 mg/dL (6.21 mmol/L) or greater is high. The total cholesterol level can be measured any time of day.

The normal range of LDL-C is 50 to 100 mg/dL. Depending on all your risk factors, in general: Less than 100 is optimal. 100 to 129 mg/dL is near or just above optimal.

Is 180 cholesterol good? ›

A total cholesterol of 180 to 200 mg/dL (10 to 11.1 mmol/l) or less is considered best. You may not need more cholesterol tests if your cholesterol is in this normal range.

With LDL cholesterol, lower is better. HDL cholesterol helps remove LDL cholesterol from the blood and transports it to the liver for processing and elimination. A higher HDL number is desirable because it usually signals a lower risk of heart disease.

What should your triglycerides to HDL cholesterol ratio be? Ideally, you want no more than a 2:1 ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol. So, if your triglycerides are 100 mg/dl, your HDL cholesterol should be 50 mg/dl.

LDL cholesterol.

The LDL measurement is usually considered the most important for assessing risk and deciding on treatment. The definition of a healthy level keeps on getting lower.

For most healthy adults (19 and older), your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL, your LDL less than 100 mg/dL, and your HDL greater than 40 mg/dL. For children (19 and younger), total cholesterol should be less than 170 mg/dL, LDL less than 110 mg/dL, and HDL greater than 45 mg/dL.

Less than 100 mg/dL – normal/optimal. 100 to 129 mg/dL – near or above the optimal. 130 to 159 mg/dL – borderline high. 160 to 189 mg/dL – high.

Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.

A LDL level of 114 mg/dL is considered elevated. Although cholesterol serves several important functions, elevated LDL cholesterol may put you at greater risk for heart disease. Elevated LDL cholesterol doesn't have symptoms, which is why it's important to know your levels.