Why do I need to know my cholesterol number?

Your cholesterol number indicates the total level of cholesterol in your blood. Cholesterol levels are usually measured as TOTAL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS (total amount of ‘GOOD’ and ‘BAD’ cholesterol). Raised cholesterol is not an illness in itself, but it is associated with a number of diseases. People with diabetes are at particular risk from a raised level of total cholesterol or a raised level of ‘BAD’ LDL-cholesterol. That’s why it is important to KNOW YOUR NUMBER as this will allow you to manage your cholesterol levels.