I tested my blood a month ago and my cholesterol was at 280. . is that bad and what should i do about it.

Too high: Cut down on fats in your diet, especially red meats and oils. Get regular exercise. You may need a class of medications called statins which are effective at lowering cholesterol and improving your risk of cardiovascular events. Low carbohydrate diets and the so-called mediterranean diet can be very helpful.

Good start: Awareness of your risk factors is important for health and longevity. You will need to see the break down of each component of that total cholesterol. You could be one of those rare folks with super high hdl, (above 80) in which case you are unlikely to ever have coronary artery dx. More common is to have a high LDL (above 100) , for which you want to lower.

Prob will need rx: More history is needed . A framingham score can be calculated. Some drs will get a high sensitivity CRP maybe even homocystine level some get carotid dopplers to see if any plaque along with high levels . Wothout a full history and risk profile .....But CAD starts when we are young so age should not keep us from treating

Depends on Particles: Both labs and risk factors are important in knowing cardiovascular (cvd) risk. More than cholesterol, cvd is related to the number of LDL (ldl-p) and HDL particles (hdl-p). Because cholesterol in LDL and HDL particles is highly variable cholesterol levels often disagree with particle number. When cholesterol and particle number disagree cvd risk tracks with ldl-p and hdl-p, not ldl-c or hdl-c.

Sounds quite high : But additional information on HDL & LDL needed.