Cholesterol Level Facts

Men aged 35 or older and women who are aged 45 and older should both have their cholesterol levels checked on a yearly basis. You may have to have it checked more than yearly if you have other risk factors for heart disease.

Your cholesterol level tells a story about your health. There are many things that you should know about when to check your level and how often.

You should also know what to do once you know what your cholesterol level is.

Men aged 35 or older and women who are aged 45 and older should both have their cholesterol levels checked on a yearly basis.

You may have to have it checked more than yearly if you have other risk factors for heart disease.

Some other risk factors for heart disease are: If you have already had one or more heart attacks, being a male older than 45 or being a female older than 55, being a female and going through or having already completed menopause, if you have an immediate family member (parent or sibling) who had a heart disease, if you smoke cigarettes, have high blood pressure, have diabetes, are overweight or are obese, and also if you are inactive.

You should know that there are different types of cholesterol. Cholesterol is a substance that travels through our bloodstream in different packages, which are called "lipoproteins".

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are substances that carry cholesterol to the body.

Total Cholesterol The tests that are more easily found and affordable only measure the total cholesterol and will not give you a profile of the individual cholesterol levels (HDL and LDL) as well as the triglyceride level. Knowing all levels can give you is more total picture. Purchasing the higher end model may not solve all of your problems because even if you have all of the desired numbers, you still need the doctor to evaluate the numbers and take into account all of the other risk factors you have to determine your real risk for heart disease. Testing your cholesterol levels and knowing what they are is not enough to save your life. You have to know how to interpret the levels and to know what lifestyle changes are necessary in order to keep those levels in a healthy range. Total Cholesterol

High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are substances that remove cholesterol from the bloodstream. In other words it gets rid of the bad cholesterol (LDL).

What is your total cholesterol level? This is the total for both your LDL and your HDL. The desired level of total cholesterol is less than 200.

If your total cholesterol level is between 200 and 239 than you have borderline high cholesterol. If your total cholesterol level is 240 or more this means that you are at an increased risk for heart disease.

What are your LDL cholesterol levels? These are your "bad" cholesterol level and you want it to be low.

Below 100 is ideal for those who have a higher number of risk factors for heart disease. If your level is 100 to 129 than this is ideal for the average individual.

 If your level is 130 to 159 than this indicates a borderline high level and if your number is 160 or more than this means that you have a higher than normal risk for heart disease.

What are your HDL cholesterol levels? These are your "good" cholesterol level and you want it to be high.

If your HDL cholesterol level is less than 40 than it means that you are at high risk for heart disease. If you have a level that is 60 or higher this is good, as it will reduce your risk for heart disease.

Now that you know your cholesterol levels and what they mean you can use the information to make better lifestyle choices such as to stop smoking if you smoke and to lose weight if you are overweight and also to actively exercise daily according to the recommendations of your doctor.