Does the acceptable cholesterol level change as we age?

Answer 1

No it doesn't.

Total Cholesterol should always remain below 200 mg/dL (milligrams per Deciliter)

HDL Cholesterol ideally should be greater than 40 mg/dL

LDL varies depending on your risk leve for heart disease

- high risk - less than 70 mg/dL
- have heart disease or diabetes - less than 100 mg/dL
- have 2 or more risk factors - less than 130 mg/dL
- have 0 or 1 risk factor - less than 160 mg/dL

*Risk factors for developing heart disease include:

- Cigarette smoking
- Age (you are a male 45 years or older or a female 55 years or older)
- Low HDL (less than 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L))
- Hypertension (Blood pressure of 140/90 or higher or taking high blood pressure medications)
- Family history of premature heart disease (heart disease in a first degree male relative under age 55 or a first degree female relative under age 65)

Note: High HDL (60 mg/dL or above) is considered a "negative risk factor" and its presence allows the removal of one risk factor from the total.

Triglycerides - less than 150 mg/dL

For more information on these I will give you the link to my home page. From there click on the appropriate topic on the left side menu. There you will find basic information as well as links to more indepth information. Please feel free to print any information from my site. You may also refer others to it.

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http://medilink-healthlink.tripod.com/index.html

Sincerely,
Terry

Answer 2

Yes it most definitely does, or more precisely should. As you age, higher cholesterol levels are associated with longer life and more Resistance to sickness. Current guidelines on cholesterol don't necessarily take this into account.

Answer 3

Nope. Total cholesterol should always be less than 200.

I work in a hospital lab and I've never heard of establishing ranges for different ages for cholesterol.

Answer 4

The only change is from <20 or >20. Here are the reference values.

National Cholesterol Education Program Recommendations

Adults (20 years or greater)
HDL Cholesterol:
<40 mg/dl, increased risk for heart disease
40 – 59 mg/dl normal range
>60 mg/dl cancels one bad risk factor
Total Cholesterol:
Desirable: < 200 mg/dl
Borderline high: 200 – 239 mg/dl
High risk: > 240 mg/dl
Triglycerides
Desirable: < 150 mg/dl
Borderline high: 150 - 199 mg/dl
High risk: >200 mg/dl
LDL Cholesterol:
Desirable: < 130 mg/dl (< 100 if diabetes or coronary heart disease)
Borderline high: 130 – 159 mg/dl
High risk: >159 mg/dl


Children (<20 yrs)
LDL Cholesterol:
Desirable: < 109 mg/dl
Borderline high: 110 – 129 mg/dl
High risk: >129 mg/dl
Total Cholesterol:
Desirable: < 169 mg/dl
Borderline high: 170 - 199 mg/dl
High risk: > 200 mg/dl

Hope this helps

Answer 5

No, they don't apply after the age of 50. This article will give you an insight view:

The Cholesterol-Age Profiles: Because cholesterol produces accumulating deposits at each year of life, it is necessary to know its level at each year to reflect how much deposit probably has or will be formed during this year. Thus Life Ahead produces an age-profile of each type of cholesterol for each age of life. Because individuals usually will not have actual values of cholesterol available for every year, a best estimate for the profile is produced from average population trends with age and actual values available. These population trends are modified for any earlier than present value of cholesterol that is entered into the program. The Life Ahead Life Cycle model computes all risks of disease and death for each year of life in every valuation.

The disease and death values used in Life Ahead Version 2 are for an average US Population during 1995-1998. (The structure of the model is such that it should also develop correct risks for populations of earlier and later years.) Thus a base profile for the average individual is produced for each year of age from population average cholesterol values vs. age published by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for these years. Values in mg/dl from this average population profile are:

Men Women

Age 10 30 50 80 10 30 50 80

Total Cholesterol 150 192 213 208 154 187 218 231

LDL Cholesterol 90 124 142 138 83 110 136 147

HDL Cholesterol 44 46 48 48 54 56 58 59

If a diet entry is made with no actual cholesterol entry, the first pass computation develops an estimate of likely cholesterol values from average profile and diet and all other factors. If any actual cholesterol values are entered, the Genetic Factors for Total and HDL cholesterol are computed to reconcile the computed results for diet with those for actually entered cholesterol values. The computed result for Good Habits then assumes that any deficiencies in dietary values of fats, fiber, and all other dietary factors vs. desirable targets will be corrected. Thus if a Total Cholesterol Genetic factor is high, practical modifications of diet and other habits will be able to reduce the Good Habit factor for Total Cholesterol only to a higher value than that computed for a person having a normal Total Cholesterol Genetic Factor. This recognizes that the individual with the high genetic factor has an added quantifiable risk, and if cholesterol remains unfavorable, should be discussing use of cholesterol modifying drugs with a doctor.

Life Ahead now computes differences for changes in cholesterol due to diet or other changes assuming the basic long term effects (i.e. the MRFIT study) of these factors. As noted above, this will overestimate benefits or debits of substantial changes cholesterol as those for Statin drugs for a some years following the changes. However, as years progress this error probably will become small first because actual values should move closer to those now computed as atherosclerosis progresses toward estimate over longer time, and second because the effects of Total Cholesterol become smaller with increase in user age. Thus effects of this approximation on Well-Days should be minimal.

Note the Life Ahead does not usually attempt to compute differences in health risk for various assumed values of cholesterol that often is done via statistical type models. Individuals do not have any real option for changing their cholesterol by specified amounts other than by modifying factors such as diet and exercise or taking drugs, and thus any such computations are hypothetical. And changing cholesterol by these actionable means also involves changes risks from other factors. But the program will display an estimate of benefits or debits to outlook for a specified serum cholesterol difference if this is specifically desired.

You can use the Life Ahead program to obtain an estimate of how different entered cholesterol values at present age will change risks of major disease and Well-Days of expected life. (Cholesterol values entered can be deleted and changed if desired). Just use the demo program and a diet entry of Demo diet weekly #1 to view the effects on a typical US man or woman of age 50, or enter your own age and physical activity and other factors for a more accurate effect for you.

Answer 6

yes I think