Primary Care

Believe in Better Health Toolkit

High cholesterol is excess levels of cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol in blood consists of three main components...

Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL) -
LDL is involved in depositing cholesterol and other fats throughout the body. High levels of LDL put you at risk for hardening arteries and heart disease.
High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) -
involved in eliminating cholesterol and other fats from the body. High levels of HDL are protective against heart disease.
Triglyceride
a common form of fat in the body.

Use the following chart to get a better understanding of what your LDL,
total cholesterol and triglyceride levels should be

If You Have	Your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol should be	Your total cholesterol should be	Your triglyceride should be
Fewer than 2 risk factors* and no heart disease	Under 160 mg/dL	Under 240 mg/dL	Under 200 mg/dL
2 or more risk factors* with no heart disease	Under 130 mg/dL	Under 200 mg/dL	Under 200 mg/dL
Heart Disease	100 mg/dL or less	160 mg/dL or less	150 mg/dL or less

• Family history
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Low HDL (<35)
• High blood pressure
• Age (Men 45 years+)
• Age (Women 55 years+)

The University of Rochester Medical Center’s
commitment to help Rochester
become America’s healthiest community
by 2020

(complete index of Believe in Better Health Toolkit files offered on this Web site with links to printable versions)