Non-HDL cholesterol

Honestly, the cholesterol world is complicated and almost like the universe 🌌

But there’s a cholesterol number already on your standard blood test that many people overlook:

Non-HDL cholesterol (non-HDL-C)

Here’s the simple math:

Non-HDL-C = Total cholesterol − HDL (“good” cholesterol)

Why does it matter?

Unlike LDL cholesterol alone, non-HDL-C gives you a broader picture of cholesterol carried by atherogenic lipoproteins, including LDL and remnant particles.

One of the largest analyses, from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration, included 302,430 people across 68 prospective studies and found that each 43 mg/dL higher non-HDL-C was associated with about a 50% higher risk of coronary heart disease.

Another meta-analysis of 448,732 people found that those in the highest non-HDL-C categories had about a 79% higher relative risk of coronary heart disease compared with those in the lowest categories.

Non-HDL-C can be particularly informative when triglycerides are elevated, when LDL-C may not tell the whole story.

Importantly, these are observational data. They show association meaning they do not mean that lowering non-HDL-C by 43 mg/dL will automatically reduce heart attacks by 50%.

LDL-C still matters.

But non-HDL-C can provide another useful piece of the cholesterol puzzle.🫀🔬

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