What does high cholesterol level mean?
Cholesterol is a substance present in the fats (lipids) in the blood and having high cholesterol might increase the risk of heart problems.
The cholesterol numbers are considered to be high if the total cholesterol level is more than 200 mg/dL and HDL (good) cholesterol is below 40 mg/dL.
Further, you will need a blood test called "lipoprotein profile" that evaluates the total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. The LDL cholesterol level should be less than 100 mg/dL.
High levels of HDL cholesterol are not harmful as they can lower the risk of heart disease. Triglyceride levels more than 150 mg/Dl are abnormal and increase the risk of heart disease.
Source: https://www.cedars-sinai.edu/