How Much Should the Normal Cholesterol Level be in the Body?

Medical Video: Heart Health : What Is the Normal Range for Cholesterol?

Maybe you think cholesterol is something that really should be avoided. However, not all cholesterol in the body is evil, because the body also needs good cholesterol to carry out its functions. There is bad cholesterol and good cholesterol in our body. Both must be within normal limits so you are said to be healthy. Too high levels of bad cholesterol in the blood or too low levels of good cholesterol in the blood can certainly be bad for your health, such as increasing the risk of heart attack, heart disease or stroke.

What is cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes from your body and from the food you eat. The body, especially the liver, produces the cholesterol you need and then releases it into the bloodstream. The liver will produce more cholesterol when you eat lots of foods that contain lots of saturated fats and trans fats.

Too much cholesterol in your bloodstream can lead to plaque formation, which can later inhibit your blood circulation. If blockage of blood flow occurs in the bloodstream to the brain, this can cause a stroke. If blockage of blood flow occurs in the heart, it can cause a heart attack.

There are two types of cholesterol in our body, namely good cholesterol and bad cholesterol.

Good cholesterol

The amount of good cholesterol or high density lipoprotein (HDL) high in blood is a good thing for your health. HDL cholesterol can protect your body from heart disease because it can help eliminate bad cholesterol in your bloodstream. HDL cholesterol will take the excess bad cholesterol in the bloodstream and bring it to the liver to be broken down and removed from the body. Thus, high levels of HDL cholesterol in the bloodstream can prevent you from heart disease or stroke.

Bad cholesterol

The higher the level of bad cholesterol or low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the blood, the higher your risk of heart disease. LDL cholesterol can clog your arteries, which can cause heart disease or stroke. You can reduce LDL cholesterol in the blood by changing your eating habits, doing regular exercise, or taking cholesterol-lowering drugs if necessary.

What is the limit of cholesterol in the body?

Cholesterol levels in the blood are at least measured once every five years for every person over 20 years old, this test is commonly called a lipid profile. It's important to know what cholesterol levels are in your body, so you can prevent yourself from developing cholesterol-related diseases.

After you do this cholesterol test, the results you will get are the total amount of total cholesterol in the body, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

Total cholesterol shows the amount of LDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and other lipid components. Whereas, triglycerides are the amount of fat in the blood obtained from the food we eat. Excess calories, alcohol, and sugar in the body will be converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells in the body. High levels of triglycerides in the body can put you at a high risk of heart disease.

The limits for each type of cholesterol are:

For children

The content total cholesterol the good in the body is less than 170 mg / dl, included in the high category when reaching 200 mg / dl or more.
The content LDL cholesterol the good in the body is less than 110 mg / dl, and can worsen your health if the levels have reached 130 mg / dl or more (high category).
The content HDL cholesterol good in blood is 45 mg / dl or more. HDL cholesterol in the blood is said to be low if it is less than 40 mg / dl.
The content triglyceride in good blood is less than 75 mg / dl (for children 0-9 years) and less than 90 mg / dl (for 10-19 year olds). Triglyceride levels are said to be high when they reach 100 mg / dl or more (for children aged 0-9 years) and 130 mg / dl or more (for 10-19 year olds).

For adults

The content total cholesterol good in blood is less than 200 mg / dl, included in the high category if the levels reach 240 mg / dl or more.
The content LDL cholesterol good in blood is less than 100 mg / dl, and will endanger your health if the levels reach 160 mg / dl or more.
The content HDL cholesterol the good in the body is 40 mg / dl or more, and can be said to be low if the level less than 40 mg / dl.
The content triglyceride good in blood is less than 150 mg / dl, and is included in the high category if the levels reach 200 mg / dl or more.

How to maintain cholesterol levels in the body?

You can become your body's cholesterol level to be in a good range by applying a healthy lifestyle. The following are things you can do: