Checking your cholesterol used to be an easy affair, with your doctor reporting to you one number.  However, as medical science has advanced, cholesterol knowledge has changed and three or more numbers are typically now reported. Getting more than one number can be confusing, and even if your doctor explains it to you in the examination room, it is difficult to remember once you get home.  This can also be confusing if you purchase a home cholesterol testing kit. The math of cholesterol is not as difficult as it seems, however, and by learning the differences between the numbers, you can understand how to keep your body healthy.

First, you will be given a number for LDL cholesterol, or low density lipoprotein cholesterol.  This is commonly referred to as bad cholesterol and you can remember this by using the L to stand for Lower—you want to be sure to lower this type of cholesterol. LDL cholesterol makes up about 65-75% of your total cholesterol level, and everyone should seek for a number lower than 130, because LDL cholesterol is the type that causes heart attacks.  If you have other risk factors such as obesity or a family history of heart disease, you want to keep this number even lower, less than 100 if possible.  Diet is the main way to lower high LDL levels.