iStock.com/blackCAT
Your Heart Health Numbers
Know your numbers and make sense of them with our easy-to-read chart
Sep 17, 2009
Jul 24, 2023
Cardiovascular DiseasesLearn about our editorial policies
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. Get tips for lowering high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
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.