Health News Share Email Print Cholesterol: Learn about your levels Reviewed 8/31/2023 Cholesterol: Learn about your levels Healthy cholesterol levels can help you avoid heart attack and stroke. Your total cholesterol score is made up of three numbers. Some should be low. Other should be high. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) Type: artery-clogging. Goal: low LDL. To lower your LDL Exercise. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Manage your weight. Choose healthy oils like canola and olive oil. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) Type: heart-healthy. Goal: high HDL. To raise your HDL Exercise. Manage your weight. Eat fatty fish twice per week. Eat more vegetables and whole grains. Triglycerides Type: artery-clogging. Goal: low triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat that works with HDL and LDL to make up your total cholesterol. To lower triglycerides Exercise. Manage your weight. Avoid alcohol. Don't smoke. Eat fewer carbohydrates. Check your cholesterol levels. Adults age 20 and older should have their cholesterol checked every four to six years. Your cholesterol levels, along with other risk factors, will help your doctor assess your cardiovascular health. Learn more about cholesterol. Sources American Heart Association. "Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids." https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/fish-and-omega-3-fatty-acids. American Heart Association. "What Your Cholesterol Levels Mean." https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cholesterol/about-cholesterol/what-your-cholesterol-levels-mean. Related stories Health information main Health tools go Select a health topic ADHD Aging Alcohol use disorder Allergies Alternative medicine Alzheimer's disease Arthritis Asthma Babies Backs Bladder Bones Brain Breast cancer Cancer Cancer prevention Caregiving Cervical cancer Children and parenting Cholesterol Colds Colorectal cancer Coronavirus Dental care Depression Diabetes Disaster preparedness Down syndrome Ears Eating disorders Emergencies End of life/Palliative care Environmental health Epilepsy Eyes Fall prevention Family and relationships Feet Fitness and exercise Flu Food safety Hair Headache Health assessments Health calculators Healthcare Heart attack Heart health Hepatitis Hernia High blood pressure Hips HIV/AIDS Holiday health Hormones Imaging Incontinence Joints Kidneys Knees Leukemia Liver Lung cancer Lungs Medications Men's health Menopause Mental health Multiple sclerosis Nails Nose Nutrition Obesity Oral cancer Ovaries Pain Parkinson's disease Pets Pneumonia Pregnancy Prostate cancer Rehabilitation Reproductive health Safety School health Sexuality Sexually transmitted infections Skin Skin cancer Sleep Smoking Sports injuries Stomach pain Stress and anxiety Stroke Substance use disorder Summer safety Surgery Teen health Throat Thyroid Travel Vaccines Vascular health Violence Vitamins and supplements Weight management Winter health Women's health Workplace health Wound care i Providers Cardiology Family Medicine Internal Medicine Geriatric Medicine RSS If you have questions or comments, please contact Randolph Health. Problems reading or opening a page? Legal restrictions and terms of use applicable to this site.