The National Cholesterol Education Program in 1993 issued a set of guidelines for desirable cholesterol levels. In the United States, the levels are usually expressed as mg/dl, which means the number of milligrams of cholesterol in one deciliter of blood. (A different method is used in Europe, where the levels are given as millimoles per liter). A few years ago, most doctors thought that levels of 250 mg/dl were fine, but over the past few years, the acceptable levels have grown progressively lower. The latest ones are shown below. The numbers are given both as mg/dl, the units used in the United States and in parentheses as mmol/L, the units used in Europe.

Classification of Cholesterol Levels

Classification	Total cholesterol	LDL cholesterol
Desirable	below 199 mg/dl (5.2 mmol/L)	below 129 /mg/dl (3.3 mmol/L)
Borderline	200-239 (5.2-6.2)	130-159 (3.3-4.1)
High	Above 240 (6.2)	above 160 (4.1)

The National Cholesterol Education Program has also issued a set of guidelines for levels of LDL cholesterol that should be treated according to whether or not you already have known coronary heart disease. These are shown below.

NCEP Recommendations for Levels of LDL Cholesterol that Require Treatment

Risk Group	Level for Starting Diet Treatment		Level for Starting Drug Treatment
	Total cholesterol	LDL cholesterol	Total cholesterol	LDL cholesterol
0 or 1 risk factors for CHD	240 mg/dl (6.2)	160 mg/dl (4.1)	275 mg/dl (7.1)	190 mg/dl (4.9)
2 or more risk factors for  CHD	200 (5.2)	130 (3.3)	240 (6.2)	160 (4.1)
Already known to have CHD	160 (4.1)	100 (2.6)	200 (5.2)	130 (3.3)