Why Is Cholesterol Important?

Your blood cholesterol level has a lot to do with your chances of getting heart disease. High blood cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. In fact, the higher your blood cholesterol level, the greater your risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack. Heart disease is the number one killer of women and men in the United States. Each year, more than a million Americans have heart attacks, and about a half million people die from heart disease.

Your HDL (good) Cholesterol level:

With HDL (good) cholesterol , higher levels are better. Low HDL cholesterol (less than 40 mg/dl for men, less than 50 mg/dl for women) put you at higher risk for heart disease. In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dl. In the average woman, they range from 50 to 60 mg/dl. An HDL cholesterol of 60 mg/dl or higher gives some protection against heart disease.