Crunching the Cholesterol Numbers
Merck & Co. Inc. was commissioned to poll the cholesterol numbers for us. The people they polled were asked what they thought they knew about cholesterol and heart attacks. The questions were asked by phone and the purpose was to find out how much people really knew about cholesterol and the connection to heart health.
The poll results showed that 77% of those who answered the poll questions did not know the upper limit of a healthy cholesterol level.
1/3 of those polled had no idea what the terms, “LDL”, and “HDL” mean.
50% of those polled said they knew what “total cholesterol” number means.
Less than half of those polled knew what their LDL cholesterol and their HDL cholesterol numbers were.
Of all those polled, only 28% knew what their triglyceride numbers were.
Those of us who write, or read articles about cholesterol either have an interest in being heart healthy or have a reason to find out about cholesterol, perhaps a report is due, or your doctor is bugging you to get a blood test done and you want to know if it is worth taking the test or not.
Just in case you were one of those polled or are reading this scratching your head about what the “cholesterol numbers are and what they mean”, here is a little summary for you.
Your LDL cholesterol number is telling you how much “bad cholesterol” you have in your bloodstream. You want this number to be low.
Your HDL cholesterol number is telling you how much “good cholesterol”; you have in your bloodstream. You want this number to be high.
Some doctors will have your VLDL cholesterol number tested. This is your very low-density lipoprotein number.
Your triglycerides are lipids that are detected in your bloodstream. You can imagine them as blood fats, and you will be pretty close to what they are. If your triglyceride level were high, that would be bad.
Your total cholesterol blood number measures all of the cholesterol and the triglyceride numbers in your blood and is measured in milligrams per deciliter. To be heart healthy you want this number to be at a level that is under 200 mg/dL, because at 240 and over, and you would be at a high risk for heart disease.
Further crunching the numbers:
To be heart healthy you want you LDL cholesterol level to be less than 100 mg/dL, and your doctor will say that a level of 100 – 129 mg/dL is optimal or above optimal. If your LDL cholesterol level is between 130 and 159 mg/dL than you are borderline high, and if your number is 160 or above your LDL level is too high and you are at high risk for heart disease.
Now, remember, you want your HDL cholesterol number to be high in order to be heart healthy. If you are male and your HDL cholesterol level is 40 or less than you are at a higher risk for heart disease. If you are a female and your HDL cholesterol number is less than 50 you are at a higher risk for heart disease.
If your triglyceride levels are 150 or less, than they are in a normal range. If your triglyceride level is 200 or higher than they are too high and you are at higher risk for heart disease.
Your doctor will go over your numbers with you and discuss your other risks such as your medical history, any active medical conditions or disease, your family history and your lifestyle. Your doctor will also ask you about your exercise level and will weigh you too. All of these factors will be taken into consideration to determine what your overall risk factor is for heart disease.
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