What is a 'high' cholesterol level?
The following levels are generally regarded as desirable
- Total cholesterol (TC) - 5.0 mmol/l or less. However, about 2 in 3 adults in the UK have a total cholesterol level of 5.0 mmol/l or above.
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol after an overnight fast: 3.0 mmol/l or less.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: 1.2 mmol/l or more.
- TC/HDL ratio: 4.5 or less. That is, your total cholesterol divided by your HDL cholesterol. This reflects the fact that for any given total cholesterol level, the more HDL, the better.
As a rule, the higher the cholesterol level, the greater the risk to health.
However, your level of cholesterol has to be viewed as part of your overall cardiovascular health risk. The cardiovascular health risk from any given level of cholesterol can vary, depending on the level of your HDL cholesterol, and on other health risk factors that you may have.
Assessing (calculating) your cardiovascular health risk
A 'risk factor calculator' is commonly used by doctors and nurses to assess the cardiovascular health risk for an individual. A score is calculated which takes into account all your risk factors such as age, sex, smoking status, blood pressure, cholesterol level, etc. The calculator has been devised after a lot of research that monitored thousands of people over a number of years. The score gives a fairly accurate indication of your risk of developing a cardiovascular disease over the next 10 years. If you want to know your 'score', see your practice nurse or GP.
Average rating:
Where to next?
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Thousands of Caesareans could be avoided
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What is cholesterol?
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Who should be treated to reduce their cardiovascular health risk?
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Atrial Fibrillation
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Can strokes be prevented?
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How common is atrial fibrillation and what causes it?
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Stroke
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Stroke risk if your partner smokes
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Tests for and complications of atrial fibrillation
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Understanding a normal heartbeat
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What are the symptoms of a stroke?
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Americo Martins, about 1 year
Cholesterol ......5.0 Triglic.............. 1.1 hdl ....................1.2 ldl.......................3.3 Ratio...................4.2 Is this what you require? Thanks. Americo.
Report this commentAmerico Martins, about 1 year
My ldl at the moment is 3.3 and the hdl is 1.2 making a ratio of 4.2. I eat a lot of roasted peanuts and some peanut butter every morning. Does this have an effect on my ldl cholesterol? Some people say peanuts are bad for cholesterol, others say they are not. Can you give your opinium please? Many thanks. Americo.
Report this commentJohn Pettit, about 1 year
Please show us the 'risk factor calculator' (even though, no doubt, there are complexities around its application)
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Subash, about 1 year
Are there any tables to compare results TC/ HDlL and LDL Cholesterol between U.S. Standards and British Standarrds? Similarly for Triglyceroids and to measure Blood Sugars ? All these are done on 10 to 12hrs fasting. I would like to compare my U.S. resutls to British Standards. Thanks for your Help
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