LDL Cholesterol
Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol
LDL carries cholesterol through your blood. Your LDL cholesterol result measures how much cholesterol these particles carry. When it stays high, cholesterol can build up inside your arteries over time.
Try your LDL Cholesterol result.
A quick one-marker check. Vita can score it better once it sees the full lab report around it.
What does a high LDL result mean?
High LDL increases the chance of heart disease over time. It does not tell you whether an artery is already blocked. Your age, blood pressure, smoking history, diabetes and family history help determine what the result means for you.
How high is your LDL?
- Desirable
- Below 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)
- Above desirable
- 100–129 mg/dL (about 2.6–3.3 mmol/L)
- Borderline high
- 130–159 mg/dL (about 3.4–4.1 mmol/L)
- High
- 160–189 mg/dL (about 4.1–4.9 mmol/L)
- Very high
- 190 mg/dL or more (about 4.9 mmol/L or more)
These are general adult LDL categories, not your personal treatment goal. Risk also depends on your age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and health history. Green does not guarantee low heart risk.
Why your treatment goal may differ
Your clinician may set a lower LDL goal based on your heart risk. The 2026 ACC/AHA guideline uses goals below 100, 70 or 55 mg/dL for different risk groups; these are separate from the general result categories above.
Sources: MedlinePlus (NIH)
What can change this result?
What can raise it
- Frequently eating foods high in saturated fat, such as butter and fatty cuts of meat.
- Inherited high cholesterol, even if you eat well and stay active.
- Some medicines or health conditions, including an underactive thyroid.
What can help lower it
- Replacing some butter and fatty meat with olive oil, nuts, beans or fish.
- Eating more soluble fiber from foods such as oats and beans.
- Statins or other cholesterol medicines, when prescribed.
Habits matter, but they are not the whole explanation. Inherited high LDL often needs medication as well as lifestyle changes.
What should I do next?
- Review your full cholesterol panel and family history with your clinician. Ask which LDL goal applies to you.
- Try replacing some saturated fats with unsaturated fats and adding foods with soluble fiber, such as oats and beans.
- Ask whether medication and a repeat test are appropriate. Lifestyle changes and medication can both play a part.
How this test works
Cholesterol is needed by your cells. It travels through blood inside particles called lipoproteins. LDL particles can enter artery walls and contribute to plaque, a fatty buildup. The blood test measures the cholesterol inside LDL, not the number of particles or the amount of plaque.