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Cholesterol Levels in Women
What are HDL and LDL?
HDL and LDL are two different kinds of cholesterol that are
measured as an index of a patient's risk for cardiovascular
disease. HDL stands for high-density lipoprotein and LDL stands
for low-density lipoprotein. Total cholesterol measures the
combination of HDL and LDL, along with several other factors. The
levels of "fats" in the blood-total cholesterol, HDL (a subset called
"good cholesterol") and LDL ("bad cholesterol") and triglycerides
have been used for years to predict the risk of heart disease in
men. Higher cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and/or low HDL all are
associated with increased risk of heart diseases in men.
What do the numbers mean?
Many studies found that women with higher total cholesterol levels
also had higher rates of a form of heart disease called coronary
artery disease. That is where the arteries to the heart become
clogged. This leads to heart attacks. For cholesterol, levels of
about 200 or less are generally not associated with much
increased heart disease. Women with total cholesterol levels of
265 or more have been found to have this disease two or three
times as often as women with levels of about 200. Even mildly
elevated levels, of about 235, had about 70% higher rates, than
normal.
Men in the same situation are put on a diet and drugs to lower their
cholesterol. The goal was to increase HDL, and lower LDL and
total cholesterol. Little was done to lower elevated triglyceride
levels. The men's rates of disease dropped. A closer look at the
problem in women found something different. Low HDL ("good
cholesterol") levels were the strongest predictor of heart disease in
women. These are generally levels less than 50 (mg/dL). Low HDL
and high cholesterol go hand in hand for many, which led to the
confusion about what was important. Women with total cholesterol
levels as low as 200 who also had low HDL levels still had high
risks of heart disease. In fact, the best predictor for women,
according to one study, was the ratio of cholesterol to HDL. If a
woman's total cholesterol is about 4 times or so of her HDL level,
her risk of heart disease skyrockets to up to five times that of her
normal counterpart. If her triglycerides are high, her risk goes up,
too. Again, that happens even if she has a low total cholesterol
level.
Unlike men, a high LDL ("bad cholesterol") level is not as strong a
predictor of future trouble, although there is still considerable
debate on this. Some experts believe LDL is not to be worried
about for most women, except for particular sub-groups of women
who are affected. As one might expect, until we clarify the
importance of LDL for women and factor in the additional
significance HDL has for women, the HDL/LDL ratio's significance
is muddied.
The Bottom Line
Total cholesterol in and of itself does not matter so much. Look at
the other factors and ratios: especially HDL, triglycerides, and the
cholesterol to HDL ratio. The significance of LDL and ratios with it
are uncertain. Most of all, keep checking for new research. This
area is rapidly changing for women.
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