Total cholesterol should always be less than 190 mg/dL. Having high total cholesterol doesn’t always mean that the person is sick, as this can occur from an increase in good cholesterol (HDL), which also increases total cholesterol values. Therefore, HDL (good), LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides values should always be taken into account when analyzing a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Symptoms of high cholesterol only appear when their values are very high. Therefore, from the age of 20, it is recommended to perform blood tests of cholesterol at least every 5 years in healthy people and more regularly, at least once a year, in those who already have the diagnosis of high cholesterol. , who has diabetes or is pregnant, for example. Reference values for blood cholesterol control vary by age and health status.
- Refer to the desirable reference values for cholesterol in the following table.
- By age.
- By the Brazilian Society of Cardiology:.
less than 130 mg/dL – in people with low cardiovascular risk
less than 100 mg/dl – in people with intermediate cardiovascular risk
less than 70 mg/dl – in people at high cardiovascular risk
less than 50 mg/dl – in people at very high cardiovascular risk
Non-HDL cholesterol
(sum of LDL, VLDL and IDL)
less than 160 mg/dL – in people with low cardiovascular risk
less than 130 mg/dL – in people with intermediate cardiovascular risk
less than 100 mg/dL – in people at high cardiovascular risk
less than 80 mg/dl – in people at very high cardiovascular risk
Cardiovascular risk is calculated by your doctor during your appointment, and takes into account the risk factors of the person who develops cardiovascular disease, such as old age, smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, or other heart disease, for example.
Triglycerides are another type of body fat, used as an energy reserve by the body, and when they are high, they also increase the risk of atherosclerosis deposits in blood vessels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The table of normal triglyceride values, by age, recommended by the Brazilian Society of Cardiology is:
less than 150 mg/dl
If you have high cholesterol, see what you can do to reduce these values in the following video:
Normal cholesterol values should be maintained as they are important for cellular health and hormone production in the body. About 70% of the cholesterol in the body is produced by the liver and the rest comes from food, and only when the body has more cholesterol than it needs, it begins to deposit itself in the arteries, which decreases blood flow. promote the development of heart problems. Better understand the causes and consequences of high cholesterol.
Check your risk of heart problems
Cholesterol baselines are not yet set during pregnancy, so pregnant women should be based on healthy adult reference values, but still under medical supervision. During pregnancy, cholesterol levels are generally high, especially during the second and third semesters. Women with gestational diabetes need special attention because their cholesterol levels tend to increase even more. Learn how to lower high cholesterol during pregnancy.