Gender and specific readings for good and bad cholesterol affect a healthy cholesterol level. An ideal cholesterol reading for men is at least 40 mg/dL and for women, no lower than 50 mg/dL. Regular exercise, adding Omega-3 fats, and quitting smoking can help maintain ideal cholesterol ratios. Medications can also be used to correct imbalances.
When it comes to understanding what is involved in a healthy level of cholesterol in the system, there are several factors to consider. Gender plays a role in calculating your ideal cholesterol level, as do specific readings for good and bad cholesterol. Here are some general guidelines that will help you know if you have a problem or if your cholesterol readings are reasonable.
Once upon a time, determining your ideal cholesterol level involved nothing more than a general reading. To some extent, that overall reading is still somewhat indicative of a healthy cholesterol level. If the reading is below 200 mg/dL, there’s a good change that you’re well within a safe range and not likely to develop heart disease. However, it’s a good idea to investigate your cholesterol level in more detail to determine if there is a healthy balance between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.
HDL, or high-density cholesterol, is the good kind. An ideal cholesterol reading for men would be at least 40 mg/dL, while women should have a healthy reading no lower than 50 mg/dL. Many doctors prefer that both men and women have HDL levels between 60 and 80 mg/dL, along with low bad cholesterol values.
LDL, or low-density cholesterol, is considered the bad kind and is more likely to be the root cause of heart disease, including heart attacks. The goal of LDL cholesterol is to keep it as low as possible. An ideal cholesterol level for bad cholesterol would be less than 100 mg/dL, although up to 129 mg/dL is considered to be within the normal range.
Maintaining ideal cholesterol ratios means taking a few key steps to improve the quality of your life. Cutting out high-cholesterol food items is a start. Adding foods that contain Omega-3 fats will also help lower bad cholesterol. Regular exercise not only helps lower bad cholesterol, but it can also help raise HDL levels that have fallen below the 40 mg/dL mark. For people who smoke, quitting will make a huge difference in their LDL cholesterol levels and help bring the overall reading back into an acceptable range.
In some cases, more is needed to correct an imbalance in cholesterol levels. Doctors can use a blood test to determine the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol in the blood and decide on a course of treatment. There are many medications on the market today that have been shown to be very effective in increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels while promoting a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. When taken as directed by a qualified physician, it is possible to alter the ratio of cholesterol into a balance indicative of the ideal cholesterol level.
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