"The danger of consuming foods rich in cholesterol and saturated and trans fats cannot be overemphasized. Regular testing can provide the foreknowledge necessary to take action to help prevent any life-threatening events. Current guidelines recommend testing for anyone over age twenty. If there is family history of high cholesterol, your healthcare provider may suggest a test sooner than this. Testing calls for a blood sample to be drawn after nine to twelve hours of fasting for an accurate reading. (By this time, most of the fats ingested from the previous meal have circulated through the body and the concentration of lipoproteins in the blood will be stabilized.)\n\nAccording to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the following total cholesterol values are used to target treatment:\n\n• Desirable. Under 200 mg/dL\n\n• Borderline high. 200–239 mg/dL\n\n• High risk. 240 mg/dL and up\n\nAccording to the NIH, the following desired values are used to measure an overall lipid profile:\n\n• LDL. Less than 160 mg/dL (if you have heart disease or diabetes, less than 100 mg/dL)\n\n• HDL. Greater than 40–60 mg/dL\n\n• triglycerides. 10–150 mg/dL\n\n• VLDL. 2–38 mg/dL\n\n1. High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need to Know. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/chol/wyntk.htm. Updated June 2005. Accessed September 28,"