I guess I am confused with some of the advice given in this thread. Using these numbers I would come to a different conclusion??

Total cholesterol: 254
Triglycerides: 293
HDL - 49
LDL - 146

Total cholesterol "reference range" is 120-200

Triglycerides "reference range" is 30-150

HDL "reference range" is 40-100

LDL, Calculated “reference range” is 0-130
< 100 mg/dl optimal for coronary heart disease patients

Chol/HDL ratio “reference range” is 2.0-5.0

Therefore, my read on these numbers are the following:

Total cholesterol of 254 is HIGH
Triglycerides of 293 is HIGH
HDL is GOOD
LDL is HIGH
Chol/HDL Ratio of 5.18 is HIGH

These reference ranges are consistent among several doctors and labs as well as several insurance companies that use these ranges to rate your “health” condition.

My 2 cents worth.

Sorry.