What is the good number for cholesterol?
It is easy to get confused with the lipid profile report which details the level of good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and a form of fat called triglycerides. Many patients think there is one magic number that they can pick out from a mail-order catalogue and tell the doctor whether they should be put on drugs or not. The simple answer is that there is no such wonder number. A mere look at total cholesterol could be misleading. It is important to look at the components, especially LDL. And then these numbers could be interpreted only by a doctor because what is normal in one patient could be life-threatening in another. The recommended numbers for these variables have fallen because of better understanding of heart disease and cholesterol through numerous studies, primarily in the West. “Each time we have reduced the cholesterol level we have seen further reduction in deaths by heart attacks, strokes etc.,” says Dr. Chris Cannon of the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Cannon is a senior inve
