High Cholesterol: Frequently Asked Questions (cont.)

Doctors recommend your cholesterol stay below 200. Here is the breakdown:

Total Cholesterol	Category
Less than 200	Desirable
200-239	Borderline High
240 and above	High

LDL Cholesterol	LDL  - Cholesterol Category
Less than 100	Optimal
100-129	Near optimal/above optimal
130-159	Borderline high
160-189	High
190 and above	Very high

HDL (good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher numbers are better. A level less than 40 is low and is considered a major risk factor because it increases your risk for developing heart disease. HDL levels of 60 or more help to lower your risk for heart disease.

Triglyceride levels that are borderline high (150-199) or high (200 or more) may require treatment in some people.

Your risk for heart disease is lower when you have low total cholesterol and low LDL.

Eating foods such as meats, whole milk dairy products, egg yolks, and some kinds of fish can make your cholesterol levels go up. Being overweight can make your bad cholesterol go up and your good cholesterol go down. Also, after women go through menopause, their bad cholesterol levels tend to go up.

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Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/high_cholesterol_frequently_asked_questions/article.htm