Normal Cholesterol Readings to Avoid Heart Disease

Finding out if you have a normal cholesterol reading is as easy as having your doctor give you a simple blood test. Knowing whether or not you have high cholesterol is important if you want to avoid the many life threatening complications of artery and heart disease. There are two ways your doctor will look at such a test; total blood cholesterol and the ratio of good to bad cholesterol.

High density lipoproteins (HDL) are the good cholesterol while the bad is known as low density lipoproteins (LDL). HDL's primary purpose is to remove the bad LDL from the blood stream and send it to the liver where it is removed from the body. High LDL levels create plaque build up in the arteries leading to coronary artery disease, a risk factor for heart attacks. These plaques can also cause a stroke if they break free and get lodged in the brain.

To obtain your total cholesterol reading your doctor will combine the total amount of HDL and LDL as well as look at your triglyceride levels. This will quickly tell your doctor if you need to make some changes to lower your blood cholesterol levels. Your doctor will also look at the total LDL levels because high levels of these are a serious health risk.

When you get a cholesterol test your doctor will look at the numbers based on the following criteria.

1. Normal Cholesterol Readings - Your total level should be below 200 mg/dl with an LDL level lower then 130 mg/dl. If your readings are in this range your risk for heart disease and stroke from cholesterol related problems is very low.

2. Borderline-High - If your total level is 200-239 mg/dl or an LDL level of 130-159 mg/dl you are in the borderline-high range. If you get test results in this range your doctor will recommend that you make dietary changes and start exercising to help bring your levels down. Lifestyle changes are usually all that are needed to reduce cholesterol in this range.

3. High Cholesterol Reading - Total readings above 240 mg/dl or total LDL above 160 mg/dl are considered high. If your test levels come back in this range your risk of life threatening complications are high. Changes to your diet and an exercise program will be mandatory and if your doctor deems it necessary you will be given a prescription for a cholesterol lowering medication.

Your doctor may also look at the ratio between the good HDL and the bad LDL. He or she will divide your total cholesterol by the HDL total to obtain this ratio. If it is more then 4 your test readings are to high and steps will need to be taken to lower them.

Finding out if you have normal cholesterol readings is vitally important to your overall health and well being. If you haven't had your levels checked ask your doctor if you can get tested. The sooner you know the sooner you can take steps to reduce the risk if your results are high.

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