What is a normal cholesterol level? Here’s how to know if yours is healthy

As you age, cholesterol will likely become a popular topic of conversation, not just between you and your doctor, but within your family and social circle. It’s no surprise, after all, studies show that one in three adults around the world has high cholesterol [1], making it an unfortunately common risk of aging.

Talking about it with family and friends, though, won’t always get you the right information, and understanding what cholesterol is and how your cholesterol levels work can make all the difference when it comes to your health.

Today, we'll take a closer look at cholesterol so that you can separate your LDL cholesterol from your HDL cholesterol, know what a healthy level of both is, better understand the risk factors when it comes to this common condition, and navigate the pathway to a better, brighter body.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of fat that occurs naturally in all cells within the body. While it's a fatty substance, it's important as it’s used to make the structure of cell membranes, is a base material in making certain hormones like estrogen and testosterone, and is essential for many of the body’s metabolic processes, such as producing bile and vitamin D [2].

While your body makes all the cholesterol you need on its own, you still consume cholesterol through fat when you eat any animal product. In this process, fat is absorbed in the intestine and transported to the liver, where it is converted into blood cholesterol and released into the bloodstream. It’s generally converted into two main types of cholesterol: low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

While HDL cholesterol is generally considered a good cholesterol, particularly because it carries cholesterol back to your liver for processing, LDL cholesterol is considered a bad cholesterol in your blood as it's been linked to the accumulation of cholesterol-rich fatty deposits in your arteries in a process called atherosclerosis. If left untreated, this can cause your arteries to constrict or become blocked, slowing or stopping blood flow to vital organs like the heart and brain, which can in turn lead to high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke [3].

What does a cholesterol test measure?

A cholesterol test, also known as a lipid profile test or a lipid panel, is a blood test that a healthcare professional performs when you are at risk of high cholesterol. This test measures your:

• Total cholesterol
• HDL cholesterol
• LDL cholesterol
• Triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease) [4].

Why is testing cholesterol important?

Testing your cholesterol and lipid levels is vital when it comes to your doctor measuring your risk of heart disease or stroke. In particular, knowing what your levels are can provide your doctor with a foundation for developing a treatment plan to lower your cardiovascular risk, and ongoing tracking through regular tests can help provide benchmarks and important information on your ongoing health risks [3]

Annual testing is recommended for people with:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Familial hypercholesterolaemia (a genetic disorder with higher cholesterol levels)
• Or who have had a stroke [4]

What are normal cholesterol levels?

As with many assessments of the body, normal cholesterol numbers will vary and be influenced by a multitude of factors, including your age, medical history, family history, medications you may be taking, whether you’ve recently had a baby, and your risk of cardiovascular disease.

That said, there are some general healthy ranges when it comes to both total cholesterol and your LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels. In other words, you should feel pretty good if your test results come back as the following:

Healthy ranges for total, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides

Generally speaking, for healthy adults, the normal levels of cholesterol are:

• Total cholesterol – below 5 mmol L (under 170 mg dl)
• HDL cholesterol – above 1.0 mmol L for men, 1.2mmol/L for women (above 45 mg dl)
• Non HDL cholesterol, i.e. LDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels – below 4 mmol L total (under 120 mg dl) [5]

What are high cholesterol levels?

High cholesterol is when your total cholesterol level is above 5mmol/L, and it means you have too many fatty lipids in your bloodstream, which can block your blood vessels, leading to a heart attack or stroke [5].

What causes high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is caused by a whole range of factors that are both in and out of your control, ranging from lifestyle factors to genetic factors to health conditions. The most common risk factors of high cholesterol are:

• Aging
• Smoking or vaping
• Lack of physical activity
• Excess body weight or obesity
• A family history of high cholesterol; and
• An unhealthy diet high in saturated fats [2]

High cholesterol generally has no symptoms, which means ensuring you measure cholesterol levels with your doctor regularly is vital to ensuring you don't inadvertently put yourself at risk of heart disease or stroke.

Which risks are associated with high cholesterol levels?

High LDL cholesterol levels in our bloodstream cause fatty deposits to develop in the arteries. This results in the vessels narrowing over time, and if left unaddressed, they can eventually become blocked, leading to heart disease, heart attack and stroke.

In severe instances, this means that high cholesterol can be fatal [3].

How can you lower your cholesterol levels

The best way to lower your cholesterol levels is to make healthy lifestyle changes. Ways to do this include maintaining a balanced diet and avoiding foods high in trans fats, quitting smoking if you smoke, drinking less alcohol, and getting regular exercise, including 30 minutes of walking a day, which has been proven to increase HDL levels while reducing LDL and triglyceride levels in the body.

Diet and cholesterol

When it comes to managing your cholesterol levels, adjusting your diet is one of the most important lifestyle changes you can make. While there are differing ideas on what works best, there is some advice that most experts agree on when it comes to reducing blood cholesterol levels. In particular:

• Try to get the majority of your daily food calories from plant sources, especially fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, beans, nuts and seeds
• Replace fats and oils, such as canola oil and butter, with olive oil
• Eat oily fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel at least twice a week
• Avoid full-fat dairy products, but enjoy some low-fat or reduced-fat milk, cheese and/or yogurt every day
• Eat healthy proteins such as lean meat, chicken, seafood, legumes, nuts and seeds, and limit red meat to 1-3 times per week
• Eat more foods rich in healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives
• Use herbs and spices for flavour instead of salt
• Limit processed food high in saturated fats such as fatty meats, processed meats like salami and sausages, chips, deep-fried foods, cakes, biscuits and pastries [2]
• Stop or reduce alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks a day. Some studies have shown this can help to lower your triglyceride levels [1]

If you're looking for more advice on how to lower your cholesterol levels or prevent high cholesterol, look no further than the Juniper Programme. With dietician advice at your fingertips and a medically-backed weight loss treatment, Juniper helps you make dietary changes and build up an exercise routine that will support you to improve your health beyond just the number on the scales.

When should you ask your doctor about cholesterol?

High cholesterol doesn’t have any symptoms, so getting your cholesterol checked regularly by your healthcare provider is the best way to reduce any long-term issues or other risk factors. In particular, though, you should ask your doctor about cholesterol if you:

• Have a family history of high cholesterol or of heart disease
• Are 45 years or older
• Have been through menopause; or
• Are of South Asian or sub-Saharan African origin, as you may have a higher risk of too much cholesterol [5]

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