Cholesterol Level Guidelines
The American Heart Association classifies cholesterol levels as follows (all measurements are in milligrams per deciliter):
Total Cholesterol Levels
Total cholesterol levels less than 200 are optimal.
Total cholesterol levels between 200 and 239 are border-line.
Total cholesterol levels that are 240 or higher are high.
LDL Levels
LDL levels should ideally be less than 100.
LDL levels of greater than 129 are considered border-line.
LDL levels of greater than 159 are considered high.
HDL Levels
HDL levels range from 40 to 50 for males.
HDL levels range from 50 to 60 for females.
However, it should be noted that the above levels are only guidelines. What levels are actually healthy is controversial as the right levels also depends on the person's overall risk of heart disease. This risk is a combination of factors including age, body mass index, gender, family history and lifestyle (smoker, sedentary, etc). Obviously, it would be more important to try to follow the guideline levels if the person has a higher overall risk of heart disease.