Get Heart Healthy Today!
Learn more about your heart numbers mean.
Knowing your numbers is an important screening technique to monitor the health of your heart. Compare your numbers and lifestyle choices to the ones below to see where improvements can be made. Be sure to check with your doctor regarding all information, as the information is a guide to help keep your heart healthy.
Important Numbers
Total Cholesterol: Less than 200mg/dL
LDL (Bad) Cholesterol:
- Low Risk for Heart Disease: Less than 160mg/dL
- Intermediate Risk for Heart Disease: Less than 130 mg/dL
- High Risk for Heart Disease: Less than 100 mg/dL
- Very High Risk for Heart Disease: Less than 70mg/dL
HDL (Good) Cholesterol:
- Women: 50mg/dL or higher
- Men: 40 mg/dL or higher
Triglycerides: Less than 150mg/dL
Blood Pressure: Less than 120/80 mmHg
Fasting Glucose: Less than 100mg/dL
Body Mass Index (BMI): Less than 25 kg/m2
Waist Circumference:
- Women: 35 inches or less
- Men: 40 inches or less
Fasting Blood Sugar: Less than 100mg/dL
Exercise: Minimum of 30 minutes most days, if not all days of the week.
Diet and Nutrition Recommendations: (based on a 2,000 calorie diet)
- Eat daily 4-5 cups of fruit and vegetables, a variety in colors and types
- Eat daily 6-8 servings of grain products, including whole grains
- Eat daily 2-3 cups of fat-free or low-fat dairy products
- Eat daily 3-6oz (cooked) of lean meats, poultry or seafood
- Eat weekly 3-5 servings of nuts, seeds and legumes
- Limit daily intake to 2-3 servings of fats and oils
- Limit daily cholesterol intake to less than 300mg per day for general population (200mg a day for high risk)
- Limit daily salt intake to less than 6 grams (2,300 mg sodium) per day (people with high blood pressure or heart failure, African-Americans and people over 50 should limit salt to less than 1,500mg per day)
- Limit weekly sweets and added sugars to 5 or fewer
- Limit alcohol consumption to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men
- Eliminate all tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke
Also please go to our cardiovascular section to learn more about heart attacks, cholesterol and more.
Lastly be sure to visit American Heart Association’s webpage. It is an excellent reference for heart health and has a variety of quizzes to see how healthy your heart is with recommendations to get healthier.
Information gathered: 2-13-07, Updated: 2-13-08.