You may not initially realise that your blood cholesterol is too high or detrimental to your health as the condition itself does not cause any actual symptoms.
Whether you are young, middle aged, or older, a woman or a man, in good health or not, finding out and monitoring your cholesterol levels will enable you to determine what risks there may be to your health. This allows you to decide on any action you need to take to prevent disease and increase your protection against heart disease and heart attacks.
The best way to find out whether you have high cholesterol or significant imbalances is to visit your doctor, naturopathic practitioner, homeopath, or alternative health care provider.
Your cholesterol level can be measured easily with a quick, simple and most importantly painless blood sample.
If you are aged 20 or older you should have your cholesterol measured at least once every 5 years. The blood test will give you your…
- LDL (bad) cholesterol level
- HDL (good) cholesterol level
- Triglyceride level, and
- Total cholesterol.
| NB: Ensure that when you have a blood test it encompasses all of the above. Blood tests only measuring total cholesterol are unreliable and do not give the information you need to assess your true position. You MUST have both the LDL and HDL readings as well as the triglycerides. |
Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. The tables below show ideal levels as measured in standard blood tests the world over:
For the USA:
| Normal | Optimal | |
| Total Cholesterol | Up to 199 mg/dL | Between 180 – 220 mg/dL |
| LDL Cholesterol | Up to 129 mg/dL | Under 100 mg/dL |
| HDL Cholesterol | No lower than 35 mg/dL | Over 50 mg/dL |
For the rest of the world:
| Reference Range | |
| Total Cholesterol | Less than 5.0 mmol/L |
| LDL Cholesterol | Less than 3.0 |
| HDL Cholesterol | 1.0 – 2.5 mmol/L |
*To convert from US standard to the standard used in the rest of the world simply multiply by .0259. Conversely, to convert from the rest of the world to US standard multiply by 38.7.
| NB: Some authorities recommend lower levels than those we have stated above. Xtend-Life, along with many other experts in this field, believes lower levels can be injurious to your health for reasons explained later in this page. There has been evidence produced that suggests the “Cholesterol Council” is largely controlled by the major pharmaceutical companies and is therefore not impartial. |
Remember, it is important to concentrate on your ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol rather than your total cholesterol level. Some people have high total cholesterol levels that seem to put them in a high-risk group. However, if your ratio of HDL or LDL cholesterol is good and your triglyceride levels are also fine, then your risk may not be as high as other people with lower total cholesterol and higher triglycerides.
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