What’s good cholesterol level

In this post, you will learn more about the optimal cholesterol numbers and what your cholesterol numbers mean. Before I explain in detail what’s good cholesterol level, let’s start briefly about what is cholesterol. Cholesterol is a waxy-like substance and a type of fat (lipid) that exists all over our cells. Your liver produces cholesterol and it is a vital substance for proper hormonal and cell function in its moderate amount.  However, higher than normal levels of lipids in your bloodstream can lead to serious health complications. For example, higher risks of heart attack and stroke are directly linked to high levels of cholesterol. There are two main types of cholesterol:

•         HDL – high density lipoprotein also called the good type of cholesterol
•         LDL – low density lipoprotein also called the bad type of cholesterol

If you want to know how to lower cholesterol levels, it’s important to differentiate between these two types of cholesterol, and that is because you want to have a higher range of HDL or good cholesterol and reduce your LDL or bad cholesterol in order to lower your risk of heart diseases and plaque buildup in your arteries.

How to measure cholesterol levels

Because high cholesterol causes no explicit symptoms in most cases, a complete cholesterol test is done to measure the lipid profile of an individual. The cholesterol ratio is normally a blood test. Expert recommendation suggests men ages 35 and above and women ages 45 and above to have frequent lipid profile screening. The lipid profile screening or cholesterol test measures four significant elements which include total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. 

Cholesterol level chart – what’s good cholesterol level

The below chart shows recommended levels of lipid profile screening or cholesterol levels for adults. Please note that the numbers might vary to some extent based on each laboratory’s measurement scales. 

What factors can impact your cholesterol levels

There are different factors that can affect the level of your total, good and bad cholesterol. The below list outlines some of the most important things that will help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels.

• Daily diet – you should be watchful over what types of fats you consume. Experts suggest a diet which consists mostly of unsaturated fat and only a small amount of saturated fat (processed red meat, dairy products). Saturated fat should consist a maximum ten percent of your total diet. Monosaturated and omega-3 fatty acids are considered the healthiest types of dietary fats and therefore should both be taken in your diet (extra virgin olive oil, almond oil, salmon fish & omega-3 supplements). This guide on what are the worst foods for high cholesterol gives you a more in-depth understanding of a cholesterol lowering diet. If you also want to lower cholesterol efficiently, I highly recommend you to check out this four-week plan which helps you to effectively reduce cholesterol and prevent coronary artery diseases. It's an amazing and highly effective program to understand everything about cholesterol and get the best results following its four-week plan. 

•  Physical activity – a sedentary lifestyle with low physical activity puts you at high risk of heart disease. Being physically active helps you lose weight which directly impacts your levels of good cholesterol and lowering bad or LDL cholesterol. Research suggests that exercising affects your LDL levels and prevents your liver from producing cholesterol for several days while clearing away excess cholesterol from your bloodstream.

•  Smoking – smoking is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. Numerous studies have found out that smoking raises the level of your bad cholesterol and triglycerides. It also negatively affects the level of your HDL or good cholesterol in your body reducing its concentration. So if you have a high cholesterol and are already smoking, you are at high risk of heart diseases and life-threatening complications. Quitting smoking would help you a lot.

Conclusion

If you want to find out what’s good cholesterol level, you need to differentiate between the good and bad type of cholesterol. Adults are recommended to check their cholesterol levels frequently (at least every 6 months) by taking a blood test which measures four different elements of your lipid profile including total cholesterol , your good and bad cholesterol and your triglyceride levels.