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.

How can you find out what your cholesterol number is?

Measuring cholesterol levels is simple. Your GP or nurse will take a small blood sample which is then used to measure the amount of cholesterol in your blood. Before this test you will normally need to fast (not eat) for eight to twelve hours or overnight in order that an accurate reading can be made.
The only way to find out if you have a raised cholesterol number is to get a blood test as you cannot normally tell if you have a raised level. Also remember recommendations have recently changed and leading UK heart doctors now recommend lower cholesterol numbers than previously suggested. You may want to discuss this with your doctor.

What should my cholesterol number be?

a lower target for total cholesterol of below 4.0 mmol/l.

TOTAL CHOLESTEROL: below 4.0 mmol/l
• ‘BAD’ LDL-CHOLESTEROL: below 2.0 mmol/l