Cholesterol Charts (what the numbers mean) Total cholesterol is the sum of all the cholesterol in your blood. Your risk for heart attack and stroke increases with higher cholesterol levels. Other risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, and family history of heart disease or stroke.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/understanding_your_cholesterol_level/page2_em.htm
The good news is that lifestyle changes are effective in helping you reduce cholesterol levels. They’re also fairly straightforward and can be done at any age. Exercise: Physical activity helps you lose weight and boosts your HDL levels. Aim for 30 to 60 minutes a day of moderate cardio.
http://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age
What causes high LDL. Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Different factors can affect your cholesterol levels, such as diet, weight, lack of physical activity, and gender. You can also inherit the genes from your family that cause your cholesterol to be high. High cholesterol, including LDL cholesterol, has no symptoms.
https://www.repatha.com/cholesterol-info/
The American Heart Association recommends that all adults have their cholesterol checked every four to six years, starting at age 20, which is when cholesterol levels can start to go up. As we age, cholesterol levels tend to rise. Men are generally at a higher risk than women.
http://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age
But having too much LDL (bad cholesterol) can be a problem. Cholesterol is a type of fat found in your blood. Different factors can affect your cholesterol levels, such as diet, weight, lack of physical activity, and gender. You can also inherit the genes from your family that cause your cholesterol to be high.
https://www.repatha.com/cholesterol-info/
It consists of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), also called “bad” cholesterol, which is the cholesterol that blocks your blood vessels and increases your risk of heart disease. It also consists of high-density lipoproteins (HDL), the “good” cholesterol that helps protect you from heart disease.
http://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age
Less than 200 mg/dL: desirable. 200-239 mg/dL: borderline high risk. HDL (high density lipoprotein) is considered the good cholesterol because it may help decrease the cholesterol buildup in the walls of arteries that causes narrowing of their openings. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is considered bad cholesterol. The risk of heart disease goes up if you have a high level of LDL cholesterol in your blood because of increased potential for narrowing of blood vessels. Less than 100 mg/dL: optimal.
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/understanding_your_cholesterol_level/page2_em.htm
Current guidelines recommend that all children have their cholesterol checked between ages 9 and 12 and then again between ages 17 and 21. Kids with higher risk factors, like diabetes or a family history of high cholesterol, should be checked between ages 2 and 8 and again between ages 12 and 16. These are the recommended cholesterol levels for children, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
http://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/levels-by-age
LDL stands for low-density lipoprotein. This is the main carrier of harmful cholesterol in your blood. The higher your level of LDL cholesterol, the higher your risk of heart disease and stroke. LDL Cholesterol Levels: Less than 70 mg/dL = Optional goal if you’re at very high risk of a heart attack.
https://www.sharecare.com/health/cholesterol/what-should-my-hdl-and-ldl-cholesterol-levels-be
High LDL can build up and form plaque. LDL is called bad cholesterol because it can build up in the walls of your arteries and form plaque. This plaque build-up can lead to a condition called hardening of arteries (also known as atherosclerosis, pronounced ath-uh-roh-skluh-ro-sis).
https://www.repatha.com/cholesterol-info/
what should bad cholesterol number be
The bad cholesterol number should be less than 100 milligrams per deciliter.