Know your LDL Safe Zone
Know your risk
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is a type of fat in the blood that carries cholesterol throughout the body, and can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. The LDL Safe Zone is a guide to where your LDL-C levels should be to minimize the risk for cardiovascular disease. Remember that lower = safer.
Your LDL-C should be below 100 mg/dL
Your LDL-C should be below 70 mg/dL
Your LDL-C should be below 55 mg/dL
Share your LDL Safe Zone with your medical team and Family Heart Care Navigator and ask how you can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and peripheral artery disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States, resulting in one death every 33 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
High LDL-C levels are a key sign of increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but generally do not cause any symptoms that you can see or feel. So, it is crucial to keep your LDL-C levels low and stay in your LDL Safe Zone.
We are with you on the journey to the LDL Safe Zone.
higher rate of cardiovascular events
among those high-risk people who did not maintain recommended LDL-C levels compared with those who did achieve and maintain recommended LDL-C levels.
Unfortunately, we also know that most people in the United States who are already at high risk of cardiovascular disease have never reached their LDL Safe Zone.
of high-risk people in the United States never reach the LDL Safe Zone.
And the small number who reach the LDL Safe Zone don’t stay there for very long. On average people keep their LDL-C at goal for less than 6 months at a time.
"I don't want to lose anyone else to heart disease, so I have made it my personal mission to bring awareness about familial hypercholesterolemia to everyone I know."
Ora W.
Family Heart Ambassador
Do you know your LDL-C numbers? Request a simple Cholesterol Connect at-home screening kit now.
Care Navigator
Our experts at the Family Heart Foundation Care Navigation Center are ready to help you, no matter where you are on your journey. Ask your medical team and Family Heart Foundation Care Navigator if you are at risk for a heart attack or stroke and how to get to the LDL Safe Zone.
Connect with a FAMILY HEART Foundation care navigatorHow low should my LDL-C be?
In 2022, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) released new treatment recommendations for lowering LDL-C. This guidance can help you and your health care provider discuss and identify your LDL Safe Zone. For example, if you:
- Do not have cardiovascular disease: Your LDL Safe Zone is less than 100 mg/dL
- Are at high risk due to a history of heart attack or stroke: Your LDL Safe Zone is less than 70 mg/dL
- Are at very high risk due to a history of heart attack or stroke and the presence of multiple risk factors (for example, a starting LDL-C above 190 mg/dL, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, older than 65 years). Your LDL Safe Zone is less than 55 mg/dL
- This might also mean that you have familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), especially if you also have a family history of high cholesterol or premature heart disease
- FH is a serious and common genetic cholesterol disorder affecting 1 in 250 people worldwide. If you suspect you may have FH, contact your medical team or Family Heart Care Navigation Center for help.
The Family Heart Foundation gratefully acknowledges our LDL Safe Zone Campaign Partner Sponsor, Amgen, and Supporting Sponsors, Merck and Novartis.
