What Constitutes High Cholesterol in Milligrams?

It's equally important to know where dietary cholesterol comes from and why it matters to you because cholesterol in the body can have a dramatic impact. Once you know more about cholesterol, you can take steps to make healthy food choices.

Requirements

• There is no necessary minimum requirement for cholesterol since your body makes all that you need naturally. However, according to Dietitian Joanne Larsen, anyone with a high overall blood cholesterol level, should consume no more than 200 mg of cholesterol each day.

Ranges

• Your ideal total cholesterol should fall under 200 mg/dL, according to the American Heart Association. Once your cholesterol creeps past that, you need to ensure your cholesterol doesn't reach 240 mg/dL. At that point, your risk of heart disease more than doubles.

HDL Cholesterol

• HDL (good) cholesterol is helpful because it flushes bad cholesterol from your bloodstream. Ideally you want an HDL number above 60 mg/dl because it has heart-protective effects. A number below 40 increases your risk of heart disease.

LDL Cholesterol

• LDL (bad) cholesterol is the build-up of plaque in your artery walls that increases your risk of atherosclerosis. A desirable LDL number is 160 mg/dL or 100 mg/dL, depending on your family history of heart disease.

Considerations

• Fewer than 7 percent of your daily caloric intake should come from trans and saturated fats since they exacerbate your body's tendency to accumulate cholesterol. Trans fats should be monitored closely since they inhibit your body's ability to raise your HDL cholesterol.