Generally speaking, it's recommended that an individual's total cholesterol levels (including HDL, LDL and triglycerides) remain lower than 200 mg/dL. Cholesterol levels of 200-239 mg/dL are considered borderline high, while levels of 240 mg/dL and above are considered high risk.
As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be: 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults. 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk.
It's best to keep your total cholesterol level below 200. Women of any age should have an HDL level of 40 or higher. If you already have heart disease or diabetes, or your doctor estimates that your 10-year risk of heart disease is 20 percent or higher, try to keep your LDL level below 100.
Total Cholesterol: <4.0 mmol/L (Individuals at high risk) <5.5 mmol/L (General population) Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL): < 1.8mmol/L (Individuals at high risk) < 2.0 mmol/L (General population)
Total cholesterol of 5.8mmols/l is higher than recommended, but could be reduced with simple diet and lifestyle changes rather than medical treatment. Medical treatment would only be appropriate if the level was much higher.
Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, or mmol/L. As a rough guide, the total levels should be: 5 mmol/L or less for healthy adults. 4 mmol/L or less for those at high risk.
Your LDL cholesterol number is: Optimal if it is less than 2.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) Near optimal/above optimal if it is 2.6 3.3 mmol/L (100-129 mg/dL) Borderline high if it is 3.4 4.1 mmol/L (130-159 mg/dL)
A person is considered at high risk for developing heart disease if their total cholesterol level is higher than 240 mg/dL, LDL levels are higher than 160 mg/dL (190 mg/dL is even higher risk), and if the HDL level is below 40 mg/dL.
You might be given a TC:HDL ratio, which is the ratio of HDL compared to the total cholesterol. If not, you can work it out by a simple division: total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol. This should be as low as possible. Above 6 is considered high.
What is the normal range for cholesterol levels? For most healthy adults (19 and older), your total cholesterol should be less than 200 mg/dL, your LDL less than 100 mg/dL, and your HDL greater than 40 mg/dL.
Elevated cholesterol levels are not uncommon in the elderly (61% of women aged between 65 and 74 have total cholesterol levels over 6.2 mmol/L [240 mg/dL]).
A total cholesterol level of 7.5 mmol/L (290 mg/dL) is considered high. Although cholesterol has several essential roles in the body, high cholesterol puts you at greater risk for heart disease.
Ideally 4.5, while above 6 is considered high risk. What should I do? This reading will help your GP work out whether your overall cholesterol levels are healthy, which in turn helps them calculate your risk of CVD - another reason why it's important to have full cholesterol results, not just TC.
Normal cholesterol range in Australia
As a guide, health authorities recommend cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5 mmol per litre if there are no other risk factors present, or LDL levels less than 2 mmol/l for those who smoke, have high blood pressure or pre-existing heart disease.
Levels between 70 and 189 mg/dL (3.9 and 10.5 mmol/l) are most often considered too high if: You have diabetes and are between ages 40 and 75. You have diabetes and a high risk of heart disease. You have a medium or high risk of heart disease.
Chicken eggs are an affordable source of protein and other nutrients. They're also naturally high in cholesterol. But the cholesterol in eggs doesn't seem to raise cholesterol levels the way some other foods, such as those high in trans fats and saturated fats, do.
LDL -cholesterol levels greater than 3.5 mmol/L are considered elevated for some people at low cardiovascular risk and most individuals at intermediate risk and may need behavior modifications and/or pharmacological treatment Note 5 (see About cholesterol).
Near optimal/above optimal if it is 2.6 3.3 mmol/L (100-129 mg/dL) Borderline high if it is 3.4 4.1 mmol/L (130-159 mg/dL) High if it is 4.14 4.9 mmol/L (160-189 mg/dL) Very high if it is 4.92 mmol/L (190 mg/dL) or above.
Eating healthy, regular exercise and drinking plenty of water will help to bring down cholesterol levels within 2-3 weeks.
The fiber and potassium in bananas can reduce the level of cholesterol and blood pressure. Banana is especially known as a good source of soluble fibre which will gives one a healthy body and good immune system.
While coffee does not contain cholesterol, it can affect cholesterol levels. The diterpenes in coffee suppress the body's production of substances involved in cholesterol breakdown, causing cholesterol to increase. Specifically, coffee diterpenes may cause an increase in total cholesterol and LDL levels.