Total Cholesterol

Measured in mg/dL

The total amount of cholesterol carried in your blood across all particle types — a broad summary number that doesn't show how it's distributed.

What it is

Total cholesterol adds up the cholesterol carried inside all the different particles in your blood, including the LDL particles often called 'bad' and the HDL particles often called 'good'. Because it lumps them together, two people with the same total can have very different pictures — a high number can come from high HDL, which is generally viewed differently than high LDL. It's almost always reviewed alongside LDL, HDL, and triglycerides rather than interpreted on its own, and it's one input into overall cardiovascular risk rather than a verdict by itself.

Typical range

  • Adultsunder 200 mg/dL

Source · NCEP ATP III (Desirable) (2002)

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

  • What's driving my total cholesterol number — which parts of my lipid panel is it mostly coming from?
  • How much weight does my total cholesterol carry compared with the individual parts like LDL and HDL?
  • Given my overall risk factors, is this a number we should be tracking over time?