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Doctor's Assessment Included

Every result includes a professional assessment from a BIG-registered doctor. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

Cardiovascular

Non-HDL Cholesterol: Insight Into Your Risk

Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL. It captures all the unfavourable cholesterol types together and is a reliable cardiovascular risk marker. Learn what your value can mean.

Reference Ranges

Female
mmol/l
Normal < 3.3 High

Reference ranges may vary between laboratories. When you order a test, a BIG-registered doctor assesses your personal results in context. For treatment decisions, discuss your results with your GP.

What It Measures

Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL cholesterol. It is not a separate measurement but a number the lab calculates that captures all the 'unfavourable' types of cholesterol together, including LDL and VLDL.

Where an LDL value measures only LDL, non-HDL sums up all the cholesterol that can contribute to artery narrowing. This gives a more complete picture of the part of your cholesterol that can burden your blood vessels.

A lower non-HDL value is more favourable. The value is assessed together with your other lipid results.

Why It Matters

Non-HDL cholesterol is regarded by many guidelines as a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than LDL alone, because it includes all the artery-narrowing particles.

An added advantage is that non-HDL stays reliable when you are not fasting. LDL is often calculated and can become inaccurate with high triglycerides or after a meal; non-HDL is far less affected by this.

A raised non-HDL value is associated with a higher risk of artery narrowing and cardiovascular disease. Your doctor always assesses the value in the context of your full risk profile.

When to Test

Non-HDL cholesterol is included in a lipid profile, for example during a general health check, with an increased cardiovascular risk, or to monitor treatment.

The value is especially useful when your triglycerides are high or when your sample was taken non-fasting, because non-HDL is then more reliable than a calculated LDL.

Because non-HDL does not depend on fasting, this value can also be assessed reliably from a non-fasting sample.

Symptoms

Low Levels

A low non-HDL value is favourable and causes no symptoms. It usually means that the artery-narrowing part of your cholesterol is low. A strikingly low value is assessed by your doctor in the context of your whole lipid profile.

High Levels

A raised non-HDL value causes no symptoms by itself. As with other cholesterol values, an unfavourable profile develops silently over many years and is usually only picked up through a blood test. Complaints appear late, once artery narrowing affects the heart or blood vessels.

Lifestyle Tips

What lowers your LDL and triglycerides also lowers your non-HDL: a fibre-rich diet with unsaturated instead of saturated fats, regular exercise, not smoking, moderate alcohol and a healthy weight.

Discuss a raised non-HDL value with your doctor, who looks at your full risk profile. With a high risk, a lower target may apply than the general reference shown on your result.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is non-HDL cholesterol?
Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL. It captures all the unfavourable cholesterol types, including LDL and VLDL, in a single value.
Is non-HDL better than LDL?
Many guidelines view non-HDL as at least as good a predictor of cardiovascular risk as LDL, because it includes all artery-narrowing particles and stays reliable when you are not fasting.
What is a good non-HDL value?
A lower value is more favourable. A general reference is often below about 3.3 mmol/l, but a lower target may apply if your cardiovascular risk is high. Check the range on your result and discuss it with your doctor.
Do I need to fast for non-HDL?
No. Non-HDL is one of the lipid values that stays reliable in a non-fasting sample, which is one of its advantages over a calculated LDL.
How is non-HDL calculated?
The lab subtracts your HDL cholesterol from your total cholesterol. It is calculated automatically, not measured as a separate test.
What can I do about a high non-HDL value?
The same lifestyle steps that lower LDL and triglycerides lower non-HDL: healthy fats, fibre, exercise, not smoking and a healthy weight. Discuss persistently high values with your doctor.