Ideal Cholesterol Reading

Ideal Cholesterol Reading for LDL

For many people, an ideal cholesterol level for LDL would be under 100 mg/dL. However, ideal cholesterol readings for LDL depend on the number of risk factors for heart disease a person has. For a person with no heart disease risk factors, an ideal LDL cholesterol reading may actually be under 160 mg/dL. As risk factors increase, the ideal cholesterol reading for LDL decreases. For a person who already has heart disease, diabetes, or a risk score higher than 20 percent, an ideal cholesterol reading for LDL is under 100 mg/dL.

 

If You Have	You Are in Category	And Your LDL Goal Is
Heart disease, diabetes, or a risk score higher than 20%	I. Highest risk	Less than 100 mg/dL
Two or more risk factors and a risk score of 10–20%	II. Next highest risk	Less than 130 mg/dL
Two or more risk factors and a risk score lower than 10%	III. Moderate risk	Less than 130 mg/dL
One or no risk factors	IV. Low to moderate risk	Less than 160 mg/dL