The only way to know if you have high cholesterol is to have your blood tested. This is usually done after a 12 hour period of fasting. The three cholesterol measures are total cholesterol, LDL level, and HDL level. Guidelines for total cholesterol are:

• less than 200 mg/dL: desirable
• 200-239 mg/dL: borderline high
• 240 mg/dL or above: high cholesterol:

For LDL, the guidelines are:

• Below 70 mg/dL: optimal for people at very high risk of heart disease
• Below 100 mg/dL: optimal for people at risk of heart disease
• 100-129 mg/dL: near optimal
• 130-159 mg/dL: borderline high
• 160-189 mg/dL: high
• 190 mg/dL and above: very high

For HDL, the guidelines are:

• Below 40 mg/dL: poor
• 40-59 mg/dL: better
• 60 mg/dL and above: best