Ask your doctor where you can find information on cholesterol. Your library may have books on high cholesterol and heart disease. Already a member or subscriber? Log in. Interested in AAFP membership? Learn more. This handout is provided to you by your family doctor and the American Academy of Family Physicians. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
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Next: Kidney Cysts. Jan 15, Issue. Am Fam Physician. Why is it important to have a normal cholesterol level? What are normal cholesterol levels? What should my LDL level be? How can I reduce my LDL and total cholesterol levels? What about taking a drug to reduce my cholesterol level?
Where can I find more information about the treatment of high cholesterol? If your blood contains too much LDL cholesterol, you may be diagnosed with high cholesterol. Without treatment, high cholesterol may lead to many health issues, including heart attack and stroke.
High cholesterol rarely causes symptoms in the beginning. Learn how this screening could potentially save your life. Eating too many foods that are high in cholesterol, saturated fats, and trans fats may increase your risk of developing high cholesterol. Living with obesity can also increase your risk.
Other lifestyle factors that can contribute to high cholesterol include inactivity and smoking. Your genetics can also affect your chances of developing high cholesterol.
Genes are passed down from parents to children. Certain genes instruct your body on how to process cholesterol and fats. If your parents have high cholesterol, you may be at a greater risk of having it too.
In rare cases, high cholesterol is caused by familial hypercholesterolemia. This genetic disorder prevents your body from removing LDL. According to the National Human Genome Research Institute , most adults with this condition have total cholesterol levels above milligrams per deciliter and LDL levels above milligrams per deciliter.
Other health conditions, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism , may also increase your risk of developing high cholesterol and related complications. If your levels of LDL cholesterol are too high, it can build up on the walls of your arteries. This buildup is also known as cholesterol plaque. This plaque can narrow your arteries, limit your blood flow, and raise your risk of blood clots. If a blood clot blocks an artery in your heart or brain, it can cause a heart attack or stroke.
This helps prevent cholesterol plaque from building up in your arteries. When you have healthy levels of HDL cholesterol, it can help lower your risk of blood clots, heart disease, and stroke.
Triglycerides are another type of lipid. While your body uses cholesterol to build cells and certain hormones, it uses triglycerides as a source of energy. When you eat more calories than your body can use right away, it converts those calories into triglycerides. It stores triglycerides in your fat cells.
It also uses lipoproteins to circulate triglycerides through your bloodstream. If you regularly eat more calories than your body can use, your triglyceride levels may become too high.
This can raise your risk of several health problems, including heart disease and stroke. Your doctor can use a simple blood test to measure your triglyceride level, as well as your cholesterol levels.
If you have a history of high cholesterol or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease, your doctor may encourage you to get your cholesterol levels tested more often. Your doctor can use a lipid panel to measure your total cholesterol level, as well your LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels.
Your total cholesterol level is the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood. If your levels of total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol are too high, your doctor may diagnose you with high cholesterol. If your doctor does prescribe you medication, different factors may influence the type of medication they recommend.
With this in mind, most physicians use generalized measurements to decide on treatment plans. They may categorize these measurements as desirable, borderline high, or high cholesterol. According to the National Library of Medicine , the total cholesterol of most adults can be categorized as:.
Again, these measurements are general. You and your doctor will consider other personal factors before deciding on a treatment plan. But if you have too much cholesterol in your blood, you have a higher risk of coronary artery disease. A blood test called a lipoprotein panel can measure your cholesterol levels.
Before the test, you'll need to fast not eat or drink anything but water for 9 to 12 hours. The test gives information about your. Here are the healthy levels of cholesterol, based on your age and gender:. Triglycerides are not a type of cholesterol, but they are part of a lipoprotein panel the test that measures cholesterol levels. When and how often you should get a cholesterol test depends on your age, risk factors, and family history.
The general recommendations are:. A variety of things can affect cholesterol levels. These are some things you can do to lower your cholesterol levels:. There are two main ways to lower your cholesterol :. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.
Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. What is cholesterol? How do you measure cholesterol levels? The test gives information about your Total cholesterol - a measure of the total amount of cholesterol in your blood.
Triglycerides - another form of fat in your blood that can raise your risk for heart disease, especially in women What do my cholesterol numbers mean? How often should I get a cholesterol test? The general recommendations are: For people who are age 19 or younger: The first test should be between ages 9 to 11 Children should have the test again every 5 years Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke For people who are age 20 or older: Younger adults should have the test every 5 years Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years What affects my cholesterol levels?
These are some things you can do to lower your cholesterol levels: Diet. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your blood cholesterol level rise.
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