Cholesterol 101: What do the Blood Cholesterol Numbers mean? provided by Healthcastle.com Nutrition To have a complete picture of your blood cholesterol levels, your doctor likely will order a complete blood lipid profile test: Total Cholesterol LDL Cholesterol HDL Cholesterol Blood Triglycerides If you are 20 or older, you should check your cholesterol level at least once every 5 years as a regular check-up. Blood Lipid Levels - Desirable Total Cholesterol LDL Cholesterol HDL Cholesterol Triglycerides < 200 mg/dL (< 5.2 mmol/L) < 100 mg/dL (< 2.6 mmol/L) > 35 mg/dL (> 0.9 mmol/L) < 200 mg/dL (< 2.3 mmol/L) Blood Lipid Levels - High Total Cholesterol LDL Cholesterol HDL Cholesterol Triglycerides > 240 mg/dL (> 6.2 mmol/L) > 160 mg/dL (> 4.1 mmol/L) < 35 mg/dL (<0.9 mmol/L) > 400 mg/dL (> 4.5 mmol/L0 Levels in between are considered borderline high Source: National Cholesterol Education Program NCEP To treat high blood cholesterol, the National Cholesterol Education Program NCEP now recommends the TLC diet. They used to recommend the Step 1 Diet as the initial treatment and Step 2 Diet as a follow up. In any case, medications may be used immediately if the LDL cholesterol level is over 160 mg/dL or 4.1 mmol/L. [Read other related Cholesterol 101 articles]

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