Your target cholesterol levels depend on age, sex, and risk, but generally, adults (20+) aim for total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL, LDL ("bad") under 100 mg/dL, and HDL ("good") over 40 mg/dL (men) or 50 mg/dL (women), with lower LDL and higher HDL being better, especially as you age, though targets can shift for high-risk individuals. Children and teens have different targets, usually LDL below 110 mg/dL.
What is a healthy cholesterol level by age? For children and teens, optimal total cholesterol levels are below 170 mg/dl, and optimal LDL levels are below 110 mg/dl. For adults ages 20 and over, optimal total cholesterol levels are less than 200 mg/dl, and optimal LDL levels are less than 100 mg/dl.
A total cholesterol level of 5.5 mmol/L is borderline high in many guidelines, considered the upper limit for the "healthy" range in the general population, but a target to aim below if you have risk factors like diabetes or heart disease, where <4.0 mmol/L is preferred. It's not immediately "high" but signals a need for monitoring and lifestyle review, as levels above 5.5 mmol/L are considered abnormal by some health bodies.
No, high cholesterol doesn't directly cause headaches, but it can lead to conditions like high blood pressure (hypertension) or atherosclerosis (plaque buildup) that do cause headaches by affecting blood flow to the brain, or sometimes stress/lifestyle factors causing both. While cholesterol itself is often asymptomatic, headaches or dizziness can be warning signs of underlying issues linked to high cholesterol, such as severely elevated blood pressure or poor circulation, so frequent headaches warrant a cholesterol check.
Several studies have reported the effects of sertraline on blood lipid levels in literature. Sertraline increased cholesterol levels in patients receiving psychiatric treatment.
Inclisiran is a cholesterol-lowering treatment that reduces levels of a 'bad' cholesterol, called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, in the blood. High LDL cholesterol is a well-known risk factor for heart and circulatory disease.
Sertraline may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
There are usually no symptoms of high cholesterol. But if left untreated, it can lead to heart attack and stroke. It's often a hidden risk factor which means it can happen without us knowing until it's too late.
How often should cholesterol be checked? The American Heart Association recommends that all adults 20 or older have their cholesterol and other traditional risk factors checked every four to six years as long as their risk remains low.
Instead of saturated fats, switch to foods with healthier fats, such as lean meat, nuts, and unsaturated oils like canola, olive, and safflower oils. Limit foods with cholesterol. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, you should have less than 200 mg a day of cholesterol.
A yellow or blue ring around the cornea may be a sign of high cholesterol, especially in a person younger than age 40. Deposits in the blood vessels of the retina can also indicate elevated cholesterol. This may be the precursor to a life-threatening stroke.
Top 5 lifestyle changes to improve your cholesterol
What's considered normal? A simple blood test can reveal whether your triglycerides fall into a healthy range: Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L) Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L)
Total cholesterol levels should be lower than 5.5 mmol/L, if you have no other risk factors. If you have cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, pre-existing cardiovascular (heart) disease or diabetes, or you smoke, the aim for LDL cholesterol levels would be less than 2 mmol/L.
The concentration of plasma cholesterol increases with age from puberty until 45 to 55 years of age in men, then decreases. In women, it continues to increase until about 10 years later, after which it declines in the last decades of life (Figure 2).
Your health care team may prescribe medicine if:3. You have already had a heart attack or stroke or have peripheral arterial disease. Your LDL cholesterol level is 190 mg/dL or higher. You are 40–75 years old, have diabetes, and an LDL cholesterol level of 70 mg/dL or higher.
Can exercise lower cholesterol? Yes, it can. Being active helps your body move the bad cholesterol (also known as non-HDL cholesterol) to your liver where it can be removed out of your system. You do not have to join a gym or go on long runs if you do not enjoy it, just start by moving more every day.
Common mistakes before cholesterol testing include consuming high-fat or sugary foods, neglecting to fast as instructed, and failing to stay hydrated. These factors can lead to inaccurate test results, impacting heart health management.
Stress. Stress doesn't directly raise your cholesterol but it can lead to unhealthy ways of coping which can raise your cholesterol and your risk of heart disease. For example, you might want to eat unhealthy food such as pizza and takeaways, drink more alcohol or smoke. Stress can affect your health in other ways too.
Cooking to Lower Cholesterol
High cholesterol often has no symptoms, but when it causes problems, warning signs include chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness or coldness in limbs, unexplained fatigue, dizziness, headaches, leg pain/cramps, yellowish skin deposits (xanthomas), a grey ring around the iris (corneal arcus), and slow-healing sores/ulcers on feet, indicating poor circulation. These signs often point to related conditions like Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or heart issues from plaque buildup, but the only sure way to know is a blood test.
Numbness or Weakness
Poor circulation can make your feet or lower legs feel unusually cold, even in warm weather. Cuts, sores, or bruises on your legs or feet may take longer to heal due to reduced blood supply. The skin on your legs may appear shiny, pale, or bluish. Hair loss on the legs and feet can also occur.
The SADHART clinical trial with sertraline (Zoloft) found that while it did improve depression symptoms it had no effect on cardiac outcomes. The ENRICHD trial later showed similar results. While the new class of medications had few side effects for the heart, they didn't improve survival or reduce heart attacks.
Sertraline may increase your risk for bleeding problems. Make sure your doctor knows if you or your child are also using other medicines that thin the blood, including NSAIDs (eg, aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen, Advil®, Aleve®, Celebrex®, Voltaren®) or warfarin (Coumadin®, Jantoven®).
Sudden eye pain or change in vision such as blurred vision, seeing halos around lights, vision loss.