Know Your Average Cholesterol Level Starting at the age of 20 you should be getting your cholesterol levels tested every five years. Most people don’t start looking at these numbers until their 40’s and often by then it is too late. If you are able to get a good idea of your cholesterol numbers earlier in life you have more time to do something about it.
Cholesterol Testing
In order to test your cholesterol your blood will be drawn and a test called a lipoprotein profile will be taken. In this test there are three things that will be measured. One is the LDL average cholesterol level. LDL stands for low density lipoprotein and this is what is often referred to as the bad cholesterol. The other level is the HDL average cholesterol level. HDL is the high density lipoprotein level and this is often referred to as the good cholesterol. The third number is your triglycerides which is a measurement of fat in your blood stream and is used to determine your overall artery health.
The overall score is broken down like this:
The LDL numbers are broken down into several different categories. There isn’t a clear pass or …