Men's Health Week--high cholesterol

High cholesterol levels mean a person has elevated blood levels of cholesterol. A cholesterol test is usually broken down into total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL (low density lipoproteins, and HDL (high density lipoproteins). 

·        Normal total cholesterol is less than 200 mg/dL.

·        Normal Triglycerides (our bodies store excess food we eat and do not work off as triglycerides) level is below 150 mg/dL.

·        Normal LDL (low density lipoproteins or bad cholesterol) is 100 mg/dL

·        Normal HDL (high density lipoproteins or good cholesterol) is above 40 mg/dL (For HDL, a higher number is good.  One of the ways to raise your HDL is exercise. 

High cholesterol levels means excess cholesterol particles are floating around in our blood vessels and can become deposited on the inner lining of blood vessels and contribute to heart/cardiovascular disease. 

Let’s break down the mystery of cholesterol numbers.  Let’s discuss an imaginary man’s cholesterol numbers.  Jack Spratt has a total cholesterol of 182.  That’s less than 200 so that sounds good.  But Jack’s doctor will look at the other numbers also.  Jack’s triglyceride is 45.  His LDL  is 97.  (That’s good because it’s under 100) and his HDL is high at 76.  The HDL (high density lipoprotein) is better when it is higher than 40.  Jack Spratt’s doctor would be happy with these cholesterol numbers.  For more information about Men’s Health Week and high cholesterol, check out this website:  http://www.driveforfive.com/high-cholesterol.aspx