Dear Sue:

Do you have information on cholesterol levels for men and women, based on age and weight? My fiance is 58 years old, weighs 210 pounds, is 6'2" tall and just had a cholesterol reading of 297! I am concerned about him.
Thanks,
--Angela

Dear Angela:

Don't wait any longer to take action! 240 (milligrams per dL) is considered high blood cholesterol by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute for anyone over the age of 20, regardless of height and weight. At 297, your fiance is in the high risk category.

There are a couple of other important measures that you should ask your fiance's doctor about. They are his HDLs and LDLs. It's less confusing than it sounds: The number you gave me is the total cholesterol, which is made up of the good cholesterol (HDL) and bad (LDL). The HDL (good cholesterol) carries the artery-clogging cholesterol out of your body. The LDLs carry the cholesterol around the body, depositing it where it can cause serious problems. You want to have more good HDL cholesterol than bad LDL.

Levels associated with a lower risk of heart disease:

• Total blood cholesterol: 200 milligrams per dL
• LDL cholesterol: 130 milligrams per dL
• HDL cholesterol: 35 milligrams per dL

Categories based on heart disease risk for total cholesterol are:

• Desirable: Less than 200 milligrams per dL
• Borderline: 200- 239 milligrams per dL
• High: 240+ milligrams per dL

Angela, I commend you on making the effort to educate yourself. Because your fiance's cholesterol is so high, you will want to help him eat healthily and incorporate plenty of exercise into his daily routine. Do what you can to reduce other heart risk factors as well. If he is not a muscular, lean 210, then it is time to take off some weight or change some fat into muscle via weight training and aerobic exercise. If he smokes, it is imperative that he stop.

Also, keep in close contact with his doctor. Decide on a safe amount of time to let exercise and better eating make a difference in the blood cholesterol levels. If you don't see significant improvement after that time, you may want to consider help from some drugs. There are people who have genetically high blood cholesterol levels, who, despite their best efforts cannot lower their cholesterol into the safe range without the help of medication. Good luck to your and your fiance. Taking care of this problem now will help ensure that you will be rocking well into your twilight years!

Sincerely,
Sue Gilbert