what should bad cholesterol number be
Cholesterol Charts (What the Numbers Mean) Less than 200 mg/dL: desirable. 200-239 mg/dL: borderline high risk. HDL (high density lipoprotein) is considered the good cholesterol because it may help decrease the cholesterol buildup in the walls of arteries that causes narrowing of their openings. LDL (low density lipoprotein) is considered bad cholesterol. The risk of heart disease goes up if you have a high level of LDL cholesterol in your blood because of increased potential for narrowing of blood vessels. Less than 100 mg/dL: optimal.