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If you need a cardiologist or vascular specialist, call our FREE doctor referral service at 888-522-5585.

cholesterol), which carries unneeded cho-lesterol back to your liver so that it can be removed from the body. High levels of HDL can help protect against heart disease, while low levels can actually increase the risk. Tese two types of cholesterol, along with triglycerides (fats made in the body) and Lp(a) cholesterol (a genetic variation of LDL cholesterol), make up your total cholesterol count.

By the numbers

Keeping your total cholesterol at a healthy level is important. But there are target numbers for the individual components as well. Tese numbers ofer insight into your heart disease risk.

Cholesterol levels are measured in mil-ligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood and, according to the NHLBI, are classifed as follows: ➜ Total cholesterol less than 200 is desirable. ➜ LDL less than 100 is opti-mal. ➜ HDL 60 and above is protective against heart disease. ➜ Triglycerides level below 150 is normal.

Causes and concerns

If your numbers aren’t where they should be, two questions are likely to come to mind: Why? and What can I do about it? Many factors contribute to abnormal cholesterol levels. Tose outside of your control include:

Heredity. Genes play a part in how much cholesterol your body makes, and they can cause inherited cholesterol disorders.

Sex. Before menopause, women typically have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After about age 50, that’s reversed.

Age. Cholesterol levels tend to increase as people get older.

Factors within your control include:

Diet. Saturated fat, found mostly in foods of animal origin, is the most signifcant dietary contributor to elevated LDL cho-lesterol. Trans fats and dietary choles-terol, which come only from animal foods, also cause levels to increase.

Weight. Being too heavy generally makes

Where do you stand?

Total cholesterol is an important number to know. So, too, are the num-bers for components of the total cholesterol count.

A lipoprotein profle is a blood test taken after a 9- to 12-hour fast. It reveals your total, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels and your triglyceride level. Te test is recommended for adults at least every fve years. Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood and are classifed as follows:

Discuss your risk for heart disease with your doctor, and learn ways to bring your numbers into a healthy range—or to keep them there.

American Heart Association; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Total cholesterol

LDL (bad) cholesterol

HDL (good) cholesterol

Triglycerides

Less than 200 Desirable 200 to 239 Borderline high 240 and above High

Less than 100 Optimal 100 to 129 Near optimal 130 to 159 Borderline high 160 to 189 High 190 and above Very high

Less than 40 A major risk factor for heart disease 40 to 59 Te higher, the better

60 and above Considered protective against heart disease

Below 150 Normal 150 to 199 Borderline high 200 to 499 High 500 and above Very high

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