What is the desirable range for Total Cholesterol?

What is the desirable range for Total Cholesterol?

• A. <180 mg/dL
• B. <190 mg/dL
• C. <210 mg/dL
• D. <200 mg/dL

Answer: (D)

Keep total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL. This threshold is used because lower overall cholesterol is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Values below 200 mg/dL are considered desirable, while 200–239 mg/dL is borderline high and 240 mg/dL or more is high risk. The other cutoffs either are too restrictive or miss the common guideline target, so the best answer is less than 200 mg/dL.

Keep total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL. This threshold is used because lower overall cholesterol is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Values below 200 mg/dL are considered desirable, while 200–239 mg/dL is borderline high and 240 mg/dL or more is high risk. The other cutoffs either are too restrictive or miss the common guideline target, so the best answer is less than 200 mg/dL.