Diagnosis
A blood test to check cholesterol levels — called a lipid panel or lipid profile — typically reports:
- Total cholesterol
- LDL cholesterol
- HDL cholesterol
- Triglycerides — a type of fat in the blood
Generally you're required to fast, consuming no food or liquids other than water, for nine to 12 hours before the test. Some cholesterol tests don't require fasting, so follow your doctor's instructions.
Interpreting the numbers
In the United States, cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams (mg) of cholesterol per deciliter (dL) of blood. In Canada and many European countries, cholesterol levels are measured in millimoles per liter (mmol/L). To interpret your test results, use these general guidelines.
| Total cholesterol (U.S. and some other countries) |
Total cholesterol* (Canada and most of Europe) |
Results |
| *Canadian and European guidelines differ slightly from U.S. guidelines. These conversions are based on U.S. guidelines. |
| Below 200 mg/dL |
Below 5.2 mmol/L |
Desirable |
| 200-239 mg/dL |
5.2-6.2 mmol/L |
Borderline high |
| 240 mg/dL and above |
Above 6.2 mmol/L |
High |
| LDL cholesterol (U.S. and some other countries) |
LDL cholesterol* (Canada and most of Europe) |
Results |
| *Canadian and European guidelines differ slightly from U.S. guidelines. These conversions are based on U.S. guidelines. |
| Below 70 mg/dL |
Below 1.8 mmol/L |
Best for people who have coronary artery disease — including a history of heart attacks, angina, stents or coronary bypass. |
| Below 100 mg/dL |
Below 2.6 mmol/L |
Optimal for people at risk of coronary artery disease or who have diabetes. Near optimal for people with uncomplicated coronary artery disease. |
| 100-129 mg/dL |
2.6-3.3 mmol/L |
Near optimal if there is no coronary artery disease. High if there is coronary artery disease. |
| 130-159 mg/dL |
3.4-4.1 mmol/L |
Borderline high if there is no coronary artery disease. High if there is coronary artery disease. |
| 160-189 mg/dL |
4.1-4.9 mmol/L |
High if there is no coronary artery disease. Very high if there is coronary artery disease. |
| 190 mg/dL and above |
Above 4.9 mmol/L |
Very high, likely representing a genetic condition. |
| HDL cholesterol (U.S. and some other
countries) |
HDL cholesterol* (Canada and most of Europe)
|
Results |
| *Canadian and European guidelines differ slightly from U.S. guidelines. These conversions
are based on U.S. guidelines. |
| Below 40 mg/dL (men) |
Below 1.0 mmol/L (men) |
Poor |
| Below 50 mg/dL (women) |
Below 1.3 mmol/L (women) |
| 40-59 mg/dL (men) |
1.0-1.5 mmol/L (men) |
Better |
| 50-59 mg/dL (women) |
1.3-1.5 mmol/L (women) |
| 60 mg/dL and above |
Above 1.5 mmol/L |
Best |
| Triglycerides (U.S. and some other countries) |
Triglycerides* (Canada and most of Europe) |
Results |
| *Canadian and European guidelines differ slightly from U.S. guidelines. These conversions are based on U.S. guidelines. |
| Below 150 mg/dL |
Below 1.7 mmol/L |
Desirable |
| 150-199 mg/dL |
1.7-2.2 mmol/L |
Borderline high |
| 200-499 mg/dL |
2.3-5.6 mmol/L |
High |
| 500 mg/dL and above |
Above 5.6 mmol/L |
Very high |
Children and cholesterol testing
For most children, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends one cholesterol screening test between the ages of 9 and 11, and then be repeated every five years after that.
If your child has a family history of early-onset heart disease or a personal history of obesity or diabetes, your doctor might recommend earlier or more-frequent cholesterol testing.
Treatment
Lifestyle changes such as exercising and eating a healthy diet are the first line of defense against high cholesterol. But, if you've made these important lifestyle changes and your cholesterol levels remain high, your doctor might recommend medication.
The choice of medication or combination of medications depends on various factors, including your personal risk factors, your age, your health and possible drug side effects. Common choices include:
- Statins. Statins block a substance your liver needs to make cholesterol. This causes your liver to remove cholesterol from your blood. Choices include atorvastatin (Lipitor), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo), pravastatin (Pravachol), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor).
- Cholesterol absorption inhibitors. Your small intestine absorbs the cholesterol from your diet and releases it into your bloodstream. The drug ezetimibe (Zetia) helps reduce blood cholesterol by limiting the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Ezetimibe can be used with a statin drug.
- Bempedoic acid. This newer drug works in much the same way as statins but is less likely to cause muscle pain. Adding bempedoic acid (Nexletol) to a maximum statin dosage can help lower LDL significantly. A combination pill containing both bempedoic acid and ezetimibe (Nexlizet) also is available.
- Bile-acid-binding resins. Your liver uses cholesterol to make bile acids, a substance needed for digestion. The medications cholestyramine (Prevalite), colesevelam (Welchol) and colestipol (Colestid) lower cholesterol indirectly by binding to bile acids. This prompts your liver to use excess cholesterol to make more bile acids, which reduces the level of cholesterol in your blood.
- PCSK9 inhibitors. These drugs can help the liver absorb more LDL cholesterol, which lowers the amount of cholesterol circulating in your blood. Alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab (Repatha) might be used for people who have a genetic condition that causes very high levels of LDL or in people with a history of coronary disease who have intolerance to statins or other cholesterol medications. They are injected under the skin every few weeks and are expensive.
Medications for high triglycerides
If you also have high triglycerides, your doctor might prescribe:
- Fibrates. The medications fenofibrate (Tricor, Fenoglide, others) and gemfibrozil (Lopid) reduce your liver's production of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol and speed the removal of triglycerides from your blood. VLDL cholesterol contains mostly triglycerides. Using fibrates with a statin can increase the risk of statin side effects.
- Niacin. Niacin limits your liver's ability to produce LDL and VLDL cholesterol. But niacin doesn't provide additional benefits over statins. Niacin has also been linked to liver damage and strokes, so most doctors now recommend it only for people who can't take statins.
- Omega-3 fatty acid supplements. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements can help lower your triglycerides. They are available by prescription or over-the-counter. If you choose to take over-the-counter supplements, get your doctor's OK. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements could affect other medications you're taking.
Tolerance varies
Tolerance of medications varies from person to person. The common side effects of statins are muscle pains and muscle damage, reversible memory loss and confusion, and elevated blood sugar. If you decide to take cholesterol medication, your doctor might recommend liver function tests to monitor the medication's effect on your liver.
Children and cholesterol treatment
Diet and exercise are the best initial treatment for children age 2 and older who have high cholesterol or who are obese. Children age 10 and older who have extremely high cholesterol levels might be prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as statins.
More Information
Clinical trials
Explore Mayo Clinic studies testing new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Lifestyle changes are essential to improve your cholesterol levels.
- Lose extra pounds. Losing weight can help lower cholesterol.
- Eat a heart-healthy diet. Focus on plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Limit saturated fats and trans fats. Monounsaturated fat, found in olive and canola oils, is a healthier option. Avocados, nuts and oily fish are other sources of healthy fat.
- Exercise regularly. With your doctor's OK, work up to at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise five times a week.
- Don't smoke. If you smoke, find a way to quit.
More Information
Preparing for your appointment
If you're an adult who hasn't had regular cholesterol level checks, make an appointment with your doctor. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
When you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do in advance. For a cholesterol test, you'll likely have to avoid eating or drinking anything other than water for nine to 12 hours before the blood sample is taken.
Make a list of:
- Your symptoms, if any
- Key personal information, including a family history of high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, strokes, high blood pressure or diabetes
- All medications, vitamins or supplements you take, including doses
- Questions to ask your doctor
For high cholesterol, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What tests do I need?
- What's the best treatment?
- How often do I need a cholesterol test?
- Are there brochures or other printed material that I can have? What websites do you recommend?
Don't hesitate to ask other questions.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:
- What's your diet like?
- How much exercise do you get?
- How much alcohol do you drink?
- Do you smoke? Are you or were you around other smokers?
- When was your last cholesterol test? What were the results?
Jan. 11, 2023