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Your results. Clearer next steps.

Understand your LDL cholesterol result

Enter your LDL result to see its general adult range, what needs attention, and the most useful next step.

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  • Sources you can check

Start with your report

Copy the exact test and unit. Use a decimal point if needed (3.8), and enter one thousand as 1000.

Add report limits for context (optional)

Use limits printed on this report, in mmol/L. A laboratory range is not necessarily your personal treatment target.

For understanding and clinical discussion. No diagnosis, medication changes or supplement doses. If you feel acutely unwell, seek medical care.

Conceptual illustration of LDL cholesterol particles moving through a blood vessel

What this result can tell you

LDL carries cholesterol in your blood. The right target depends on your wider heart-health risk, not just a universal normal range. This tool explains your result and helps you choose a manageable next step.

Your target is personal

Age, blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, kidney disease and previous cardiovascular disease can change the target your clinician recommends. A laboratory reference limit is not necessarily that target.

A food change is a starting point

A consistent eating pattern can help, but the response varies. This tool does not predict an exact LDL reduction or decide whether you need medicine.

Keep the full panel

HDL, triglycerides, non-HDL cholesterol and sometimes ApoB add context. A reassuring ratio does not cancel a concerning LDL result.

Food and everyday habits

These are general examples to adapt to your allergies, preferences and existing care plan. They do not predict a specific change in your result.

Make breakfast a fibre opportunity

Soluble fibre is one part of an eating pattern that can help lower LDL. Try porridge made with oats, topped with fruit, using milk that suits your needs. Source

Swap the fat you cook with

Replacing some saturated fat with unsaturated fat is more useful than simply adding oil. Use olive or canola/rapeseed oil instead of butter for a meal where the swap works. Source

Let beans do more of the work

Beans and lentils add fibre and can replace part of a meat-based meal. Replace some mince in a pasta sauce with lentils; keep the flavours you already enjoy. Source

Common questions

Can I lower LDL with food alone?

Food changes may help, but some people also need medication. Genetics and overall risk matter. Do not stop prescribed treatment because of a calculator result.

Why does my report use different units?

Both mmol/L and mg/dL describe LDL concentration. Choose the unit printed on your report. Changing units does not change the health meaning of the result.

Is lower always better?

This tool does not choose a treatment target. Use the target agreed with your clinician rather than trying to optimise a number in isolation.

Check the evidence

The sources below support the explanations and rules. Their publishers do not endorse this tool.

  1. Understanding cholesterol results (opens in a new tab)

    NHS

  2. Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (opens in a new tab)

    NHLBI / NIH

  3. Cholesterol testing and the full lipid panel (opens in a new tab)

    NHLBI / NIH

Method

LDL mg/dL = LDL mmol/L × 38.67. Compare the original value only with entered report limits; no personal target is inferred.

Preserve the reported number. Compare before rounding. Round converted units only for display; average complete BP pairs separately and round only at the end.