What is the upper limit for total cholesterol in a healthy adult?

What is the upper limit for total cholesterol in a healthy adult?

• A. Less than 150 mg/dL
• B. Less than 200 mg/dL
• C. Less than 240 mg/dL
• D. Less than 180 mg/dL

Answer: (B)

Total cholesterol reflects the amount of cholesterol in all circulating lipoproteins and is used as a rough indicator of cardiovascular risk. For a healthy adult, the desirable upper limit is under 200 mg/dL. Values in the 200–239 mg/dL range are considered borderline high, and 240 mg/dL or higher is high risk. The other numbers listed don’t align with standard targets for a healthy profile: they’re either below the usual goal or would categorize someone as higher risk. In practice, clinicians also pay close attention to the LDL and HDL levels, since the total cholesterol value can hide unfavorable patterns within its components.

Total cholesterol reflects the amount of cholesterol in all circulating lipoproteins and is used as a rough indicator of cardiovascular risk. For a healthy adult, the desirable upper limit is under 200 mg/dL. Values in the 200–239 mg/dL range are considered borderline high, and 240 mg/dL or higher is high risk. The other numbers listed don’t align with standard targets for a healthy profile: they’re either below the usual goal or would categorize someone as higher risk. In practice, clinicians also pay close attention to the LDL and HDL levels, since the total cholesterol value can hide unfavorable patterns within its components.