Know Your Heart Health Numbers
Now that you know your numbers, what do they mean? The chart below will help you make sense of these often-confusing, always-important digits.
| Test | Range | What it Means |
| Total cholesterol | Less than 200 mg/dL | Ideal |
| Between 200 and 239 |
Borderline high |
| 240 and above |
High |
| LDL ("bad")
cholesterol
| Below 100 mg/dL | Optimal |
| Between 100 and 129 |
Near optimal/above optimal |
| 130-159 |
Borderline high |
| 160-189 |
High |
| 190 and above |
Very high |
| HDL ("good") Cholesterol
| Less than 50 mg/dL for women; less than 40 for men | Low; A major heart disease risk |
| 50 to 60 for women;
40 to 50 for men
|
Average |
| 60 mg/dL or more |
Ideal. Helps lower your risk of heart disease |
| Triglycerides
| 149 or lower | Normal risk of coronary artery disease |
| 150 to199 |
Borderline high risk of coronary artery disease |
| 200 to 499 |
High risk of coronary artery disease |
| 500 or above |
Very high risk of developing coronary artery disease |
| Blood pressure
| Less than 120/80 mm Hg | Normal blood pressure |
| Between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg |
Prehypertension,* with twice the risk of developing hypertension |
| 140/90 mm Hg to 159/99 mm Hg |
Stage 1 hypertension |
| 160/100 mm Hg or higher |
Stage 2 hypertension |
* Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure.
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