I wrote an article about cholesterol earlier this month and received some questions on the back of that. If you still have questions about cholesterol, here are some answers.

Where Does Cholesterol Come From?

Cholesterol comes from 2 sources.

1. food – especially meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products
2. your body – your body produces its own cholesterol

Why Do Your Cholesterol Levels Go Up?

In my previous article I explained that dietary cholesterol doesn’t significantly impact the cholesterol in your bloodstream. But then why do some people suffer from high cholesterol levels?

1. Diet: food rich in saturated and trans fats stimulates cholesterol production.
2. Weight: There’s a reason your doctor is telling you to get rid of that belly. Being overweight is a risk factor for heart disease and it also tends to increase your cholesterol.

• Physical Activity: If you are like most people and sit all day (sit in your car, sit at your desk, sit on the couch), you again increased your risk for heart disease. Regular physical activity can help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

• Age and Gender. As women and men get older, their cholesterol levels rise. Before the age of menopause, women have lower total cholesterol levels than men of the same age. After the age of menopause, women’s LDL levels tend to rise.
• Heredity. Your genes partly determine how much cholesterol your body makes. High blood cholesterol can run in families.

What’s a Healthy Cholesterol Level?

I highly recommend that you get your cholesterol levels tested every year or every other year at the very latest. The test report will show your cholesterol levels in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL).

HDL (good) cholesterol

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol is considered the “good” cholesterol. It helps remove LDL cholesterol from the arteries and carries it back to the liver. With HDL cholesterol, higher levels are better. Low HDL cholesterol levels on the other hand puts you at higher risk for heart disease. People with high blood triglycerides usually also have lower HDL cholesterol. Reasons for low HDL cholesterol levels: Genetic factors, type 2 diabetes, smoking, being overweight and being sedentary.

LDL (bad) cholesterol

With Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol being the “bad” cholesterol, a low LDL cholesterol level is considered good for your heart health.

Reasons for high LDL cholesterol levels: consumption of food with high levels of saturated and trans fats.

Triglycerides

Triglyceride is the most common type of fat in the body. Normal triglyceride levels vary by age and sex. A high triglyceride level combined with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in artery walls that increases the risk for heart attack and stroke.

Total blood (or serum) cholesterol

To calculate your total cholesterol score you add HDL, LDL and 20 percent of your triglyceride level.

Total blood (or serum) cholesterol

Your total cholesterol score is calculated using the following equation: HDL + LDL + 20 percent of your triglyceride level

Here is an overview of where your cholesterol levels should be at:

Total Cholesterol Level	Category
Less than 200mg/dL	Desirable
200-239 mg/dL	Borderline high
240mg/dL and above	High
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol Level	LDL Cholesterol Category
Less than 100mg/dL	Optimal
100-129mg/dL	Near optimal/above optimal
130-159 mg/dL	Borderline high
160-189 mg/dL	High
190 mg/dL and above	Very High
HDL (Good) Cholesterol Level	HDL Cholesterol Category
Less than 40 mg/dL	A major risk factor for heart disease
40—59 mg/dL	The higher, the better
60 mg/dL and higher	Considered protective against heart disease

https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/summer12/articles/summer12pg6-7.html