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What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found throughout your body. It is also found in food such as eggs, meat and butter. Produced by your body and transported in your blood, cholesterol is required for your body to function normally. It is manufactured in the liver and used in the production of hormones, bile acid, Vitamin D and in the formation and repair of cell membranes. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). The desirable level of total cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL.

How does cholesterol affect your heart?
High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. Those with cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL are at a greater risk of developing heart disease, the number one killer of women and men in the United States. When there is too much cholesterol in your blood it builds up in the walls of your arteries causing them to harden. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. Blood flow to the heart is then slowed down or blocked, resulting in conditions ranging from chest pain to heart attack.

What is “good” and “bad” cholesterol?
About one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is known as high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. HDL helps keep cholesterol from building up in the arteries protecting the body from heart attacks. This is why it is known as “good” cholesterol. The optimal level of HDL is 60 mg/dL or higher. You can improve your good cholesterol value by increasing your physical activity and avoiding cigarette smoke.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the main source of cholesterol buildup and blockage in the arteries. The cholesterol found in foods that we eat is this kind of cholesterol. Most cholesterol lowering treatments aim to lower the level of this “bad” cholesterol. The higher your risk for heart disease the lower your LDL goal should be. The optimal level of LDL is less than 100 mg/dL. Many people can reach their LDL goal through maintaining a healthful diet, increasing their physical activity, and controlling their weight. Others may require medication.

How do you determine your cholesterol level?
You can have your cholesterol checked with a simple blood test. A lipoprotein profile can be done after a 9 to 12 hour fast. This test measures total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides, which is another form of fat in your blood. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone age 20 or older should have this blood test at least once every five years.

How do your cholesterol levels look?
Compare your cholesterol levels with the charts below.

Source: Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm

To learn more about cholesterol, visit these websites:

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/

National Center for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/cvh/fs-cholesterol.htm

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III)
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/index.htm