Safe Cholesterol Levels

safe cholesterol levels

Safe cholesterol levels help you stay in normal level of cholesterol and protect you from hard risk of heart disease. If you have other risk factors for heart disease, your target LDL may be below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L). If you’re at very high risk of heart disease, you may need to aim for an LDL level below 70 mg/dL (1.8 mmol/L). In general, the lower your LDL cholesterol level is, the better.

For the average person safe cholesterol levels for HDL (good cholesterol) is between 50 and 60 mg/dl, with anything over 60 considered optimal; for LDL (bad cholesterol) a safe reading would be 130 mg/dl or less, with anything under 100 considered optimal; and total cholesterol between 200 and 239 mg/dl would be borderline high with anything less than 200 mg/dl considered to be optimal. LDL cholesterol can build up on the inside of artery walls, contributing to artery blockages that can lead to heart attacks. Higher LDL cholesterol levels mean higher risk. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is known as “good” cholesterol because it helps prevent arteries from becoming clogged. Higher HDL cholesterol levels generally mean lower risk. Eating foods with safe cholesterol levels keep you safe and healthy. Foods with saturated fat include hydrogenated vegetable oils, especially palm and coconut oil, avocados, and other high fat vegetable origin foods. Foods that actually contain cholesterol include; red meat, eggs, lard, and shrimp. Couple these foods with added saturated fat and a recipe for disaster can be created. A blood level ratio can also increase as a person ages. People who are overweight have placed themselves in a higher risk category. Safe cholesterol levels will avoid the diseases, such as diabetes, can lower HDL, increase triglycerides, and even accelerate atherosclerosis development. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can also increase the development. Some medications can be used to help return blood ratios to normal cholesterol levels.