Healthy cholesterol values: LDL, HDL and triglycerides in mmol/l
The reference numbers behind a standard lipid panel.
- Answers
- What are healthy cholesterol levels?
- Topics
- data · health · heart · lifestyle
- Full article on willem.com
- https://willem.com/en/2020-01-28_measuring-cholesterol-levels-in-blood/
Summary
When I had my blood tested in 2020, the Dutch Heart Foundation reference values were: total cholesterol under 5.0 mmol/l, LDL under 3.0, HDL above 1.0 for men and 1.2 for women, triglycerides under 1.7.
Full text
A lipid panel through the doctor's office measures LDL, the bad cholesterol that builds plaque in artery walls, HDL, the good cholesterol that carries it back to the liver, and triglycerides, the fats your body stores for energy. You fast for 9 to 12 hours before the blood draw so food does not skew the measurement. My doctor's office added fasting glucose, another cardiovascular indicator: below 6.1 mmol/l no diabetes, 6.1 to 6.9 pre diabetes, above 6.9 diabetes, following the Dutch Diabetes Foundation. My own total and LDL cholesterol came back slightly too high while I felt nothing at all, which is exactly the point: you only know your numbers by testing. I had already lost over 25 kilos, and given my old habits the numbers must once have been far worse.