Normal Cholesterol Levels Are Determined by Both HDL and LDL

As an aid to determining overall risk for coronary heart disease, doctors will test to find out how much total cholesterol is present in the bloodstream. This cholesterol test is measured as milligrams per deciliter (a "deciliter" is equal to 1/10 of a liter, or 3.38 U.S. fluid ounces). The cholesterol number is stated as XXXmg/dl. The number of milligrams of cholesterol found is just an indicator of your level of risk for coronary heart disease, but experience has shown that it is a pretty reliable indicator.

When you are tested for cholesterol, the total cholesterol number is the product of the reading for HDL (good) cholesterol) and for LDL (bad) cholesterol).

Ideally, your HDL levels should be high. If your HDL is low, less than 40 mg/dl for men, and less than 50 mg/dl for women, risk of heart disease is increased. Situations leading to low HDL are not getting enough exercise, being overweight, and smoking.

You want your LDL levels to be as low as possible because the lower this number, the lower your risk for heart disease. What follows are the ranges of LDL cholesterol as defined by the American Heart Association:

Under 100 mg/dl: Preferred
100 - 129 mg/dl: Still good ("Near Optimal")
130 - 159 mg/dl: Borderline High
160 - 189 mg/dl: High
190 and above: Very High

When the LDL and the HDL reading are added together, the result is the total cholesterol in the bloodstream. What follows are the ranges of these readings, again as defined by the American Heart Association:

Less than 200 mg/dl
If there are no other risk factors present, a reading of less than 200 mg/dl indicates that your risk for heart disease is relatively low.
Between 200 and 239 mg/dl
These numbers are border line high. If your test results show a number in this range then your medical practitioner will need to determine your levels of LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol separately. It is very possible to have high total cholesterol numbers made up of normal levels of LDL and high levels of HDL. Ask your doctor if changing your diet or increasing exercise will help in reducing your total cholesterol readings.
Above 240 mg/dl
If your numbers are in this rang, you have twice the risk of coronary heart disease as someone with total cholesterol readings of 200 or less. Should your test show these levels, it is important to make required life style changes quickly, including diet, exercise, and avoiding tobacco smoke. You may also require prescription medication if the numbers are high enough and other risk factors are present.

Clearly, lowering cholesterol is a worthy goal and one that should be taken seriously.

A very effective way to lower your cholesterol is by adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet. Science has proven that omega-3 fatty acids will perform near miracles in lower cholesterol numbers and promoting overall good health.

Proof of this can be found in how many different commercially produced foods are now advertising their content of omega-3.

A more effective way to add omega-3 to your daily diet is by adding Mila chia seed to your daily diet. Chia seed contains the highest amount of omega-3 than any botanical source, even more than salmon. Classified by the FDA is a whole, raw food, Mila chia is the best of the milahealthyliving.com cholesterol lowering foods.

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