Measuring Cholesterol

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, issued new guidelines for preventing and managing high blood cholesterol in 2001. NCEP indicates that everyone over age 20 should have their cholesterol measured at least once every five years. The preferred test for cholesterol levels is a lipoprotein profile. This is a fasting blood test (where you fast for 9 to 12 hours before the test is done) to check your cholesterol levels (measured in mg/dL, or milligrams per deciliter of blood), including:

• your total blood cholesterol level;
• your LDL level (bad cholesterol);
• your HDL level (good cholesterol);
• your triglyceride (another form of fat in the blood) level.

Talk to your health care provider about the results of your cholesterol test. The following guidelines come from the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health. Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood.

• Total cholesterol level - a level of less than 200 mg/dL is desirable. But even levels of 200-239 mg/dL (borderline high) can increase your risk of heart disease.

  Total Cholesterol Level	Category
  Less than 200 mg/dL	Desirable
  200 - 239 mg/dL	Borderline high
  240 mg/dL and above	High

• LDL (bad) cholesterol - a level of 160 mg/dL or above is high. Work with your health care provider to determine a goal LDL level that's best for you.

  LDL Cholesterol Level	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 above	Very high

• HDL (good) cholesterol - a level of 60 mg/dL or more is good and helps to lower your risk for heart disease. Remember that HDL (good) cholesterol protects against heart disease, so for HDL, higher numbers are better. A level less than 40 mg/dL is low and increases your risk for developing heart disease.

• Triglyceride levels - can also raise your risk for heart disease. Levels that are borderline high (150-199 mg/dL) or high (200 mg/dL or more) may need treatment in some people.