Submitted by spage on Fri, 03/06/2009 - 17:12
Dr. Cherry,
What do you consider to be a safe range for cholesterol? I heard that years ago the safe range was 250 and below. Now I hear that it is 200 and below? What do you consider to be the safe range?
Thanks!
While everyone is different and has different ranges, the generally accepted optimal range for total cholesterol levels is less than 200 mg/DL. Total levels up to 240 mg/DL would be borderline, and over 240 mg/DL would be considered high risk.
Remember that there are several types of cholesterol to consider, and their individual readings can be just as important (if not more so) than the total number.
HDL (or "good" cholesterol) numbers are the higher the better - baseline numbers would be 40 mg/DL for men and 50 mg/DL for women - getting this number up to 60 mg/DL is great.
LDL (or the "bad" cholesterol) needs to watched as well, with anything under 100 mg/DL being optimal, and anything over 160 mg/DL being considered high and in need of attention.
Your trygliceride levels should also be around 150 mg/DL to be considered optimal, with anything over 200 mg/DL being considered high.
Altering cholesterol levels requires lifestyle and diet changes such as controlling your weight, eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular physical activity, avoiding tobacco smoke, and limiting beverages and foods with added sugars.