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Is 218 Cholesterol normal?

By September 23, 2014 - 4:20pm
 
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Hi,

I got my cholesterol results and they were a total of 218. Im 27 female 5'2 140 pounds. High cholesterols runs in my family on my dads side. Two years ago my number was 201. Now it's 218, my hdl is 95, ldl is 111 and my trig 58. The hdl ratio is 2.29 and ldl ratio is 1.17. If this is high how can i make it lower?

Thank you

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EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

Dear Sir I am Male.My Total Cholesterol Is 218,LDL-114,HDL-35 , Triglycerides-487
Please Advice Me

December 22, 2017 - 10:03pm
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hi,

You should speak to your doctor about your result. Based on general guidelines (in comments below) this result can be considered borderline high. Your doctor, who knows your general health, can advise you further.

Helena

December 23, 2017 - 6:54am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

I am Mr Bayazid Sheikh, my blood cloistral 2018, is it goon for me ? If not please advice me how to less it ?I am waiting for your kind response.

November 17, 2016 - 10:13am
Guide (reply to Anonymous)

Hello Mr. Sheikh,

You need to speak with your primary care physician

Your total cholesterol score is calculated using the following equation: HDL + LDL + 20 percent of your triglyceride level.

With HDL cholesterol, higher levels are better. Low HDL cholesterol puts you at higher risk for heart disease. People with high blood triglycerides usually also have lower HDL cholesterol. Genetic factors, type 2 diabetes, smoking, being overweight and being sedentary can all result in lower HDL cholesterol.

A low LDL cholesterol level is considered good for your heart health. However, your LDL number should no longer be the main factor in guiding treatment to prevent heart attack and stroke, according to new guidelines from the American Heart Association. For patients taking statins, the guidelines say they no longer need to get LDL cholesterol levels down to a specific target number. A diet high in saturated and trans fats raises LDL cholesterol.

Triglyceride is the most common type of fat in the body. Normal triglyceride levels vary by age and sex. A high triglyceride level combined with low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol is associated with atherosclerosis, the buildup of fatty deposits in artery walls that increases the risk for heart attack and stroke

Regards,
Maryann

November 17, 2016 - 10:30am
EmpowHER Guest
Anonymous

My total cholesterol is 218.Hdl 40.LDL 123. Trig 273 is this dangerous or not please reply

January 4, 2016 - 10:22pm

Also I would like to add, two years ago it was a total of 201 but the JFK was 72 and LDL 116. So my hdl go up and my LDL came down a bit. Is it still matter that the total went high up because of the hdl?

September 24, 2014 - 2:36am
Expert HERWriter Guide Blogger (reply to Bathsheva)

Hi Bathsheva - You mentioned that you have risk factors in your family health history, and also shared that your total cholesterol has gone up. LDL, as you know is the "bad" cholesterol, while HDL is known as the "good" cholesterol. The results for these are going the right way, according to the numbers provided, and that's wonderful, but the total is increasing, and that's not good. See if this article from the Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide is helpful in exploring this further and applying the numbers to your personal situation. Making Sense of Cholesterol Tests -  http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0205c.shtml

Let me know what you think - and I hope this helps you.

Pat

September 24, 2014 - 6:28pm

Hi,

Thank you so much for the link and for your answer. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. I just have one more question, my doctor didn't say it was bad. Just said everything was normal. Is it because the hdl is high? Since that's higher than average does that mean the total 218 is not to worry about?

September 23, 2014 - 8:10pm
Expert HERWriter Guide Blogger

Hi Bathsheva, and thanks for your question!

According to the Mayo Clinic, as outlined in this article about high cholesterol written for the EmpowHER community, the following are general guidelines for cholesterol levels. It should be noted that these numbers are guidelines only.

Total Cholesterol Level
Less than 200 mg/dL Desirable
200–239 mg/dL Borderline high
240 mg/dL and higher High

LDL Cholesterol Level
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 higher Very high

HDL Cholesterol Level
Less than 40 mg/dL A major risk factor for heart disease
40–59 mg/dL The higher, the better
60 mg/dL and higher Considered protective against heart disease

According to these guidelines, your total cholesterol result of 218 is on the borderline high risk side.

High cholesterol is treated in many different ways. The one most recommended is adopting a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, eating a healthy diet and incorporating exercise/activity.

Another way high cholesterol is managed is through medications such as statins to lower cholesterol levels, bile-acid-binding resins to help liver use, cholesterol absorption inhibitors to prevent absorption of cholesterol in the small intestines, and combinations of cholesterol absorption inhibitors and statins.

Since this runs in your family and is of concern to you, I suggest visiting our High Cholesterol Community where you will find many articles, videos and community comments to help you. This is one of my favorites, Lowering Cholesterol Levels While Still Eating Delicious Foods.

Does this help? As you explore this further perhaps you will also have some good tips you learn that you can share with others in the community.Thanks for your interest in taking care of your own good health!

Best,

Pat

 

 

September 23, 2014 - 5:45pm
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