Normal Blood Cholesterol Levels

The target total serum cholesterol level should be under 5mmol/liter.

Total serum cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). The desirable, borderline and undesirable levels of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL are mentioned below:

Compound	Desirable	Borderline	Undesirable
Total cholesterol	Below 200	200-240	Above 240
Total cholesterol	Above 45	35-45	Below 35
LDL cholesterol	Below 130	130-160	Above 160
Cholesterol/HDL	Below 4.5	4.5-5.5	Above 5.5
LDL/HDL	Below 3	3-5	Above 5

The total blood cholesterol level in human blood can vary from 3.6mmol/liter to 7.8mmol/liter. The target cholesterol level should be under 5mmol/liter.

Any reading over 6mmol/liter is high and significantly raises the risk of arterial disease.

Desirable levels of LDL cholesterol are lower in people already suffering from heart disease.