With increasing obesity and health awareness, many people are starting to worry about their cholesterol levels and trying their best to limit their cholesterol intake. However, not many know what the normal cholesterol levels are in the body. Read on to know what cholesterol and its levels are.

What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a fat-like, waxy substance found in our blood and cells in the body. Cholesterol plays a significant role in making hormones, vitamin D, and also the substances that help digest food.

Cholesterol resides in our blood in the form of small packages of lipoproteins, with lipid (fat molecules) on the inside surrounded by a wall of proteins. There are two kinds of lipoproteins in your body, the Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL) and High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL). And it is important that you have healthy levels of each of these in your blood.

LDL is sometimes termed as “bad” cholesterol because it tends to settle on the walls of your arteries, increasing the risks of heart attacks. HDL, on the other hand, is termed as “good” cholesterol as it helps carry the additional cholesterol from other parts of the body to your liver, where it is then disposed.

Along with these two types of cholesterol, there are also triglycerides, which is the cholesterol content that comes from the food we eat. The excess sugar, alcohol, and calories we consume get converted into fat cells and are stored throughout our body.

When is your cholesterol high?
Your body is capable of making all the cholesterol it requires. But the food you eat also contains cholesterol in it. And when this there is an excess of it, there is a buildup of cholesterol in your body, resulting in high levels of cholesterol. This may settle in the walls of your coronary arteries (called plaque) and over time, this hardens and narrows your arteries.

Sometimes, this plaque may rupture and cause blood to clot there, which ends up hindering the blood flow even more. This increases your risks of coronary artery disease(heart problems).

What is the normal cholesterol level?
When the cholesterol levels in your body increase, there are no indications given to you by the body. If you are wondering what is the normal cholesterol level, many doctors state that any person above the age of 20 should get their cholesterol levels checked every five years. A screening test called lipid profile done on the blood reveals the cholesterol level.

The result of this test comes in numbers which can’t be directly used to understand what your risks are for getting a heart attack. They’re instead a part of a much larger equation that includes several things like your age, your smoking status, your blood pressure, and a lot more. The doctor will analyze all of these factors and develop a plan for you to reduce your cholesterol levels if it is high.

Cholesterol levels for adults
The National Institute Of Heart, Lung And Blood has prepared a chart for low, good, borderline, and high levels of cholesterol for adults. Here’s the chart that tells you what normal cholesterol levels are.

• Good : Total cholesterol must not be more than 200, HDL is 40 or higher, LDL is less than 100 and triglycerides less than 149.
• Borderline : Total cholesterol lies between 200 to 239, LDL between 139 to 159, and triglycerides between 150 to 199.
• High : In this case, the total cholesterol is more than 240, LDL is more than 160, and triglycerides are more than 200.
• Low : In the case of low cholesterol, there are no definite limits. The HDL, in this case, is less than 40.

All the values listed above are in mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter).

Cholesterol levels for children
Similar to the cholesterol chart for adults, there is a cholesterol level chart for kids too. According to the chart,

• Good : Total cholesterol must be 170 or less, HDL is 45 or higher, LDL is 110 or lesser and triglycerides are less than 75 in children between the age 0-9, and 90 in the age of 10-19.
• Borderline : Total cholesterol lies between 170 to 199, HDL between 40 to 45, LDL between 110 to 129, and triglycerides between 75 to 99 in children from 0 to 9, and 90 to 129 in children aged 10 to 19.
• High : In this case, the total cholesterol is 200 or more, LDL is more than 130, and triglycerides are more than 100 in children of age 0 to 9, and 130 or more in children aged 10 to 19.
• Low : In the case of low cholesterol, there are no definite limits for total, LDL, and triglycerides which define the cholesterol levels to be less. The HDL, in this case, is less than 40.

To make sure that you’re living a healthy life, get your cholesterol levels tested at regular intervals. Live a healthy lifestyle that gives you a longer life without any issues.