People talk about cholesterol all the time. Just to make sure you understand the basics, let me run through this with you.

Based on good solid research over a lot of years, an association (risk) was found between cholesterol levels and heart attack and stroke. As the data was further evaluated and studies done, the risk was confirmed. High levels of blood cholesterol are associated with an increase in stroke and heart attack. The good news is that the same studies showed that lowering the cholesterol lowered the risk of heart attack and stroke.

As the average cholesterol level in US citizens has declined, so has the incidence of heart attack.

How do you interpret cholesterol tests?

Some of the parts are measured and some are calculated. The basic formula is:

Total cholesterol = LDL Cholesterol + HDL Cholesterol + Triglycerides / 5

LDL = bad cholesterol

HDL = good cholesterol

Triglycerides are another type of fat in the blood. Also bad in high levels

The "goals" are as follows:

Total = under 200
LDL = under 100
HDL = over 40
Triglycerid = under 150

Total cholesterol / HDL = under 5.1 (optimum 3.5)

Stricter levels are recommended for people with diabetes or heart disease.

I hope this information is helpful.

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This post has been edited by jlhaslip: Apr 12 2008, 05:02 AM