Understanding Optimal Cholesterol Levels: A Comprehensive Guide

Cholesterol numbers indicate your risk of coronary heart disease. High "good" cholesterol and low "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides will improve your health.

Total

• Total cholesterol levels should be less than 200 mg/dl. If your total cholesterol level is close to 200, your LDL (bad) and HDL (good) numbers become more important in determining your risk of coronary heart disease; if your cholesterol is 240 mg/dl or more, you are at high risk.

HDL

• For HDL (good) cholesterol, higher levels are better. Anything lower than 50 mg/dl for women or 40 mg/dl for men increases your risk of heart disease. Ideally, your HDL should be at 60 mg/dl or higher.

LDL

• For LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower levels are better. Optimal LDL numbers are anything less than 100 mg/dl. At around 130 mg/dl, the LDL level is considered high, and at 190 it is very high and risky.

Triglycerides

• For triglycerides, lower levels are better. A normal, healthy triglyceride number should be less than 150.

Optimizing Your Numbers

• To optimize your cholesterol numbers, don't smoke (improves HDL levels); eat a heart-healthy, low-fat diet (decreases total, LDL and triglyceride levels); and exercise regularly (improves HDL levels).