KEY POINTS
- Blood cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver.
- Millions of people in the United States have high cholesterol.
- Optimal total blood cholesterol is 150mg/dL.
- What it is
Blood cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by your liver. Blood cholesterol is essential for good health. Your body needs it to perform important jobs, such as making hormones and digesting fatty foods.
Your body makes all the blood cholesterol it needs. Experts recommend that people eat as little dietary cholesterol as possible.
Dietary cholesterol is found in animal foods, including meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Learn more about preventing high cholesterol by making healthy eating choices.
What do blood cholesterol numbers mean?
Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). When you go to a health care professional to get your cholesterol checked, this test will usually check the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in your body. (A cholesterol check is also called a lipid panel or lipid profile.)
- Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol. Having high levels of LDL cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in your arteries and result in heart disease or stroke.
- High-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol. HDL is known as "good" cholesterol because high levels of it can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Triglycerides, a type of fat in your blood that your body uses for energy. The combination of high levels of triglycerides with either low HDL cholesterol or high LDL cholesterol levels can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
- Total cholesterol, the total amount of cholesterol in your blood based on your HDL, LDL, and triglycerides numbers.
Cited from CDC