One of the characteristic features of a living cell is that it controls the exchange of electrically charged ions across the cell membrane and therefore the electrical potential of its interior relative to the exterior. This Scholarpedia page is a basic introduction into the mechanisms underlying this process.
Here are the ranges for total cholesterol in adults: 1  Normal: Less than 200 mg/dL. 2  Borderline high: 200 to 239 mg/dL. 3  High: At or above 240 mg/dL.
Total cholesterol numbers (as the name implies) measure the total amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream. These numbers combine levels for HDL, LDL, and another type of cholesterol known as VLDL, or very low-density lipoprotein. However, these numbers can be misleading because a person can have a healthy total cholesterol reading and still have low HDL or high LDL. Therefore, most cholesterol treatment decisions are based on HDL and LDL cholesterol numbers, not total numbers.