What is Cholesterol Levels, Ratio? LDL, HDL, High, Lower
What is Cholesterol Levels?
Cholesterol is a substance that exists in the fat, Tissue and blood. The risk of Heart Disease is high if too much cholesterol in a person’s blood. Cholesterol Level is a measurement of the amount of the cholesterol in all cells of your body.
As there are no clear signs or symptoms for high blood cholesterol, you should check at least once every five years if you’re over 20 years to see whether you are suffering abnormal cholesterol level.
Then, how do you know whether your cholesterol is normal or not and what’s the ratio? A blood test called a lipoprotein can measure the levels and the lipoprotein panel can give your doctor enough information including total cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides. And look the tables below and compare the numbers with your cholesterol numbers, you can get the general idea about your cholesterol levels.
| Total Cholesterol Level | Total Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 200 mg/dL | Desirable |
| 200–239 mg/dL | Borderline high |
| 240 mg/dL and higher | High |
| LDL Cholesterol Level | LDL Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 100 mg/dL | Optimal |
| 100–129 mg/dL | Near optimal/above optimal |
| 130–159 mg/dL | Borderline high |
| 160–189 mg/dL | High |
| 190 mg/dL and higher | Very high |
| HDL Cholesterol Level | HDL Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 40 mg/dL | A major risk factor for heart disease |
| 40–59 mg/dL | The higher, the better |
| 60 mg/dL and higher | Considered protective against heart disease |
Causes of high blood Cholesterol
High blood cholesterol may result from many factors, here are some common factors:
Lack of Exercise. Poor physical activity may lead to overweight which will increase your total cholesterol level. So, keep exercise regularly to lower your LDL cholesterol and raise your HDL cholesterol level.
Diet. Some high fat Food will raise the cholesterol level. So, avoid taking much saturated fat which is found in some meats, chocolate, processed foods and dairy products.
Genetics. High blood cholesterol can run in families. This is the uncontrolled factor that can cause the high blood cholesterol.
Age. As the age increases, the risk of high blood cholesterol increases too.
Gender. Men are supposed to have a high risk of suffering from high blood cholesterol than Women before age 55. After age 55, the situation is inversed. Women can have higher LDL levels.
Read More : How To Lower Cholesterol Level
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