By going to the doctor and getting a simple blood test done to check your cholesterol, you can find out what your levels of cholesterol are. When you go to get your cholesterol checked, they’ll check all the levels of your cholesterol. Your test will come back showing the levels of your cholesterol and what they could mean for your health. Your doctor will also take the information about your age, family history, smoking and your blood pressure into account.

The levels of cholesterol checked by the test will be your total blood cholesterol level, your HDL cholesterol level, your LDL cholesterol level and your triglyceride level. These are all very important levels of your cholesterol and each one means something different for you. This information will tell your doctor what your risk of heart disease may be based on your cholesterol levels and family history.

If you have a total blood cholesterol level less then 200 mg this is good level and will put you at a low risk for heart disease. If it’s above 200 mg, you’re considered to be borderline high risk. Your doctor will probably recommend that you change your lifestyle to lower your blood cholesterol level and request that you have your cholesterol checked more often. If it’s over 240 mg, then you are at high risk and your doctor will want to put you on a treatment plan and probably prescribe medication to help you lower it.

If your HDL cholesterol level is higher, then this is good. Low HDL levels can also put you at a high risk for heart disease and other problems. If your LDL cholesterol level is low then that’s good, too, as this will help to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

If your triglyceride level is high, this could mean that you have a high total cholesterol level. People can have a high triglyceride level because they’re overweight, smoke cigarettes, are inactive and drink too much alcohol. These levels can mean different things for you, so you must go to your doctor to get the treatment that is best for your cholesterol levels.

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