If you have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, your doctor will develop a cholesterol management plan designed to get your cholesterol to healthy levels. The target cholesterol levels you aim for are based on your current levels and other risk factors you may have, such as diabetes and/or being overweight. The ultimate goal is to get your cholesterol numbers to a level that lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. The higher your risk when you start treatment, the more aggressive your goal levels will be.
What are healthy cholesterol levels?
To help lower your risk for heart disease, each of your lipid numbers should be in the healthy range:
LOW
Good cholesterol (HDL) should be HIGH
Optimal Cholesterol Numbers
The chart below shows how to interpret cholesterol and triglyceride numbers. If you have diabetes, are overweight, or have other risk factors for heart disease, your doctor may set cholesterol goals more aggressive than the levels listed below.
| Total Cholesterol Level | Total Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 200 mg/dL | Desirable |
| 200-239 mg/dL | Borderline high |
| 240 mg/dL and above | High |
| Bad Cholesterol Level (LDL) | Bad Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 100 mg/dL | Optimal |
| 100-129 mg/dL | Near optimal/above optimal |
| 130-159 mg/dL | Borderline high |
| 160-189 mg/dL | High |
| 190 mg/dL and above | Very high |
| Triglyceride Level | Triglyceride Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 150 mg/dL | Normal |
| 150-199 mg/dL | Borderline high |
| 200-499 mg/dL | High |
| 500 mg/dL and above | Very high |
| Good Cholesterol Level (HDL) | Good Cholesterol Category |
|---|---|
| Less than 40 mg/dL | Low |
| 60 mg/dL and above | High |