Cholesterol Level Checker
Cholesterol Level
Checker
Enter your lipid panel plus age, blood pressure and smoking status to get your cholesterol category and your 10-year heart disease risk score — with a shareable heart health card.
Calculate your results above first, then generate a private image card to save or share.
| Test | Desirable / Normal | Borderline High | High / Low Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Cholesterol | Below 200 mg/dL | 200–239 mg/dL | 240 mg/dL or higher |
| LDL (Bad) | Below 100 mg/dL | 130–159 mg/dL | 160 mg/dL or higher |
| HDL (Good) | 60 mg/dL or higher | 40–59 mg/dL | Below 40 mg/dL (risk) |
| Triglycerides | Below 150 mg/dL | 150–199 mg/dL | 200 mg/dL or higher |
| Risk Level | 10-Year Risk | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Below 10% | Lifestyle measures generally sufficient |
| Intermediate | 10–20% | Discuss statin therapy and risk reduction with your doctor |
| High | Above 20% | Medical treatment and close monitoring usually recommended |
Conversion: divide mg/dL by 38.67 for total/LDL/HDL mmol/L, or by 88.57 for triglycerides mmol/L.
What Is Cholesterol?
Understanding Each Number
Total Cholesterol — The sum of LDL, HDL, and a portion of your triglycerides.
LDL Cholesterol — The main driver of arterial plaque buildup; lower is generally better.
HDL Cholesterol — Helps clear excess cholesterol from the bloodstream; higher is generally protective.
Triglycerides — A type of fat from food that, at high levels, raises heart disease and pancreatitis risk.
What Is the Framingham Risk Score?
The Framingham Risk Score comes from the Framingham Heart Study, a landmark research project following residents of Framingham, Massachusetts since 1948. Published by Wilson and colleagues in 1998 and adopted by the US National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP ATP III), it's a point-based system that assigns points for age, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic blood pressure (and whether it's treated), and smoking status, separately for men and women. The total points convert to an estimated percentage risk of developing coronary heart disease over the next 10 years.
Unlike looking at cholesterol numbers alone, this combined approach reflects how cardiovascular risk is genuinely multi-factorial — a person with mildly elevated cholesterol but well-controlled blood pressure and no smoking history may have a very different risk profile than someone with the same cholesterol numbers who smokes and has high blood pressure.
How Risk Assessment Differs: US vs UK
🇺🇸 United States
US clinical guidelines from the ACC/AHA commonly use the newer Pooled Cohort Equations for statin decisions, alongside older, well-established tools like the Framingham Risk Score used in this calculator, which remains widely referenced and taught.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
The NHS and NICE guidelines primarily use QRISK3, developed and validated specifically on UK primary care data, with statin therapy typically considered at a 10% or higher 10-year risk threshold.
Both approaches share the same core risk factors — age, cholesterol, blood pressure, and smoking — but use different populations and statistical models, which can produce somewhat different risk percentages for the same person. The Framingham Risk Score used here was developed primarily on a US population of European and African descent, so results may be less precisely calibrated for other ethnic groups, which is a well-documented limitation worth keeping in mind.
What Affects Your Score Beyond Cholesterol
- Age — The single strongest predictor in every major cardiovascular risk model
- Blood pressure — Both the reading itself and whether it's medically treated affect the score
- Smoking status — Current smoking substantially increases points, especially at younger ages
- Gender — Men and women are scored on separate tables, reflecting different baseline risk patterns
This calculator does not include diabetes status, family history, or other factors sometimes used in more detailed clinical assessments — if you have diabetes or a strong family history of early heart disease, your actual risk may be higher than this score suggests, and this should be discussed directly with your doctor.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
- Diet high in saturated and trans fats — Raises LDL significantly
- Lack of physical activity — Lowers protective HDL cholesterol
- Excess body weight — Raises LDL and triglycerides, lowers HDL
- Smoking — Damages blood vessels and lowers HDL
- Genetics — Familial hypercholesterolemia can cause high LDL regardless of lifestyle
How to Improve Your Cholesterol and Lower Your Risk
- Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, fatty fish)
- Add soluble fiber (oats, beans, fruit) which helps lower LDL
- Exercise 150 minutes weekly — one of the best ways to raise HDL and lower blood pressure
- Quit smoking — one of the single biggest score-reducing changes available
- Manage blood pressure through diet, activity, and medication if prescribed
For UK readers, the NHS provides its own risk tools and guidance — see the NHS page on high cholesterol. For US readers, the American Heart Association offers further guidance on cardiovascular risk reduction.
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