Dear Joanna, Thank you for your question. First of all let me say that information presented here is not intended to replace the advice of your personal physician. So I would recommend following your doctor's advice for treatment questions. Cholesterol has been identified as a major risk factor in the development of heart disease. Early studies established high cholesterol as a risk factor for developing heart disease.
Total cholesterol is broken down into different categories.
If the triglycerides are too high the LDL calculation is not valid. Triglyceride is another type of cholesterol whose significance is not well established. Cholesterol should be measured after an 8 hour fast. Guidelines have been established as to the treatment of high cholesterol. It has been recommended that everyone over that age of 25 has their total cholesterol and HDL measured.