What Is the Highest Recorded Cholesterol Reading?
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest triglyceride level ever reported was 3,165 milligrams per deciliter or 21 times the healthy level of 150 milligrams per deciliter in 1998. Triglycerides, a dangerous type of fat that contributes to the overall cholesterol count, is used together with LDL and HDL cholesterol to determine a person’s overall risk for heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels is important to overall heart health, according to the Mayo Clinic. Normal total cholesterol levels are below 200 milligrams per deciliter, while LDL cholesterol levels below 100 milligrams per deciliter and HDL cholesterol below 60 milligrams per deciliter are ideal. LDL cholesterol is commonly referred to as bad cholesterol, while HDL cholesterol is considered good cholesterol.
Measured in milligrams of cholesterol per deciliter of blood, the LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and triglyceride counts can be influenced by genetic factors, exercise, diet, smoking and high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. The test to measure all three factors is called a lipid panel or lipid profile.
According to the American Heart Association, a high cholesterol test, along with other risk factors, can determine a person’s 10-year risk for having a heart attack. When high cholesterol levels are discovered, a combination of medications and lifestyle changes are used to bring the levels down to a healthy level, according to the Mayo Clinic.
