My Doctor Told Me That I Have Borderline Cholesterol. What Does That Mean?

— -- Question: My doctor told me that I have borderline cholesterol. What does that mean?

Answer: A borderline cholesterol usually refers to LDL, the bad cholesterol. And what that means is it's not alarmingly high, but on the other hand, it's not exactly in the desirable range either; it's kind of intermediate.

And what we've learned is that people who have this intermediate or borderline high cholesterol, if they run that level throughout their whole life, they have an increased chance of having a heart attack sometime during their life. So it is something that needs to be paid attention to. It may not require drug treatment, but it's not to be ignored either.

Next: What Are Triglycerides And What Does It Mean To Have Elevated Triglyceride Levels?

Previous: As A 40-Year-Old Woman, Do I Have To Worry About High Cholesterol?