Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), also called “bad” cholesterol, is one of four markers measured by a lipid profile. The quality of LDL-C that gives it a negative denotation is its contribution to plaque—a thick, hard deposit that can clog arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks one of these narrowed arteries, heart attack or stroke can occur. For this reason, the lower your LDL cholesterol number, the lower your risk. It is recommended that a lipid profile be done every four to six years in all adults with no risk factors for heart disease. Frequently, a healthcare provider will order a lipid profile more frequently if you have one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as:
- Cigarette smoking
- Being overweight or obese
- Unhealthy diet
- Being physically inactive
- Age (males older than 45 or females older than 55)
- High blood pressure
- Family history of cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes / prediabetes
In addition, acute illness, heart attack, and stressor like surgery or an accident are known to skew LDL-C blood tests. It is worth noting that, in women, LDL-C usually rises during pregnancy.
Normal Ranges:
|
LDL-C level in mg/dL |
Risk of heart disease (independent of other risk factors) |
| 50-70 | Optimal [R] |
|
71-100 |
Normal |
|
100-129 |
Near normal, slightly elevated |
|
130-159 |
Borderline high |
|
160+ |
High to very high |
What does it mean if your LDL(Atherogenic) result is too high?
Talk to your healthcare practitioner about a potential treatment plan. A high level of LDL-C can increase your risk for coronary heart disease. If your LDL-C is high enough, a statin prescription may be desirable. Statins lower your cholesterol by inhibiting the liver enzyme responsible for the production of cholesterol.
- Reducing your LDL-C will reduce your risk for coronary heart disease. [L]
- Dietary cholesterol consumption has a clear connection to blood cholesterol concentrations [L]
- Multiple studies have linked dietary patterns with incidence of coronary heart disease and found that groups consuming predominantly plant-based foods, versus animal-based, have lower rates of heart disease. [L]
Various studies [L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L, L] have shown that nutritional and lifestyle interventions have halted and even reversed coronary artery disease (CAD). The interventions included among other things:
- low-fat vegan whole-foods plant-based diet,
- stopping smoking,
- stress management training,
- and moderate exercise
The easiest lifestyle adjustment you can make to lower LDL-C is to eat better and exercise more.
Specifically:
- Eat foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fats, and dietary cholesterol. Here is a general guide to following a whole food plantbased diet.
- Remove all type of meats from diet [L]
- Remove coconut oil from diet. [L]
- Eat fiber rich food
- Exercise at least 2.5 hours / week
- Lower stress
- Limit alcohol intake
- Quit smoking
In addition to the above there are a few "adjuvants" that can help to lower LDL-C:
- a comparative clinical study [L] has shown that Amla ("Indian Gooseberries") can help lower LDL-C and can offer significant protection against atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.
- Psyllium can have long-term cholesterol-lowering effects [L]
- Black Cumin powder (Nigella sativa) has a significant impact on plasma lipid concentrations, leading to lower total cholesterol, LDL-C, and TG levels while increased HDL-C is associated [L].
- Niacin has been widely used as a pharmacologic agent to regulate abnormalities in plasma lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Although the use of niacin in the treatment of dyslipidemia has been reported as early as 1955, only recent studies have yielded an understanding about the cellular and molecular mechanism of action of niacin on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. In brief, the beneficial effect of niacin to reduce triglycerides and apolipoprotein-B containing lipoproteins (e.g., VLDL and LDL) are mainly through: a) decreasing fatty acid mobilization from adipose tissue triglyceride stores, and b) inhibiting hepatocyte diacylglycerol acyltransferase and triglyceride synthesis leading to increased intracellular apo B degradation and subsequent decreased secretion of VLDL and LDL particles. The mechanism of action of niacin to raise HDL is by decreasing the fractional catabolic rate of HDL-apo AI without affecting the synthetic rates. Additionally, niacin selectively increases the plasma levels of Lp-AI (HDL subfraction without apo AII), a cardioprotective subfraction of HDL in patients with low HDL. Using human hepatocytes (Hep G2 cells) as an in vitro model system, recent studies indicate that niacin selectively inhibits the uptake/removal of HDL-apo AI (but not HDL-cholesterol ester) by hepatocytes, thereby increasing the capacity of retained HDL-apo AI to augment cholesterol efflux through reverse cholesterol transport pathway. [L]
Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor before starting any treatment plan.
Note to vegans: If you are already following a plantbased diet, keep in mind that not all vegan foods are necessary beneficial for your health. This might include juices/sweetened beverages, refined grains, potatoes/fries, sweets. [L, L]
All Your Lab Results.
One Simple Dashboard.
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results Easily
Import, Track, and Share Your Lab Results
Import lab results from multiple providers, track changes over time, customize your reference ranges, and get clear explanations for each result. Everything is stored securely, exportable in one organized file, and shareable with your doctor—or anyone you choose.
Cancel or upgrade anytime
What does it mean if your LDL(Atherogenic) result is too low?
Low levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol—“bad” cholesterol—mean a lower risk of developing heart disease. As mentioned, this is because when there is excess LDL-C in the blood, it contributes to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can result in heart attack or stroke if a clot tries to pass through.
Laboratories
Bring All Your Lab Results Together — In One Place
We accept reports from any lab, so you can easily collect and organize all your health information in one secure spot.
Pricing Table
Gather Your Lab History — and Finally Make Sense of It
Finally, Your Lab Results Organized and Clear
Personal plans
$79/ year
Advanced Plan
Access your lab reports, explanations, and tracking tools.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 5 reports entered for you
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
$250/ once
Unlimited Account
Pay once, access everything—no monthly fees, no limits.
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track all results with visual tools
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export your full lab history anytime
- Share results securely with anyone
- Receive 10 reports entered for you
- No subscriptions. No extra fees.
$45/ month
Pro Monthly
Designed for professionals managing their clients' lab reports
- Import lab results from any provider
- Track lab results for multiple clients
- Customize reference ranges per client
- Export lab histories and reports
- Begin with first report entered by us
- Cancel or upgrade anytime
About membership
What's included in a Healthmatters membership
Import Lab Results from Any Source
See Your Health Timeline
Understand What Your Results Mean
Visualize Your Results
Data Entry Service for Your Reports
Securely Share With Anyone You Trust
Let Your Lab Results Tell the Full Story
Once your results are in one place, see the bigger picture — track trends over time, compare data side by side, export your full history, and share securely with anyone you trust.
Bring all your results together to compare, track progress, export your history, and share securely.
What Healthmatters Members Are Saying
Frequently asked questions
Healthmatters is a personal health dashboard that helps you organize and understand your lab results. It collects and displays your medical test data from any lab in one secure, easy-to-use platform.
- Individuals who want to track and understand their health over time.
- Health professionals, such as doctors, nutritionists, and wellness coaches, need to manage and interpret lab data for their clients.
With a Healthmatters account, you can:
- Upload lab reports from any lab
- View your data in interactive graphs, tables, and timelines
- Track trends and monitor changes over time
- Customize your reference ranges
- Export and share your full lab history
- Access your results anytime, from any device
Professionals can also analyze client data more efficiently and save time managing lab reports.
Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 10000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:
- The GI Effects® Comprehensive Stool Profile,
- GI-MAP,
- The NutrEval FMV®,
- The ION Profile,
- Amino Acids Profile,
- Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones (DUTCH),
- Organic Acids Test,
- Organix Comprehensive Profile,
- Toxic Metals,
- Complete Blood Count (CBC),
- Metabolic panel,
- Thyroid panel,
- Lipid Panel,
- Urinalysis,
- And many, many more.
You can combine all test reports inside your Healthmatters account and keep them in one place. It gives you an excellent overview of all your health data. Once you retest, you can add new results and compare them.
If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.
We implement proven measures to keep your data safe.
At HealthMatters, we're committed to maintaining the security and confidentiality of your personal information. We've put industry-leading security standards in place to help protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information under our control. We use procedural, physical, and electronic security methods designed to prevent unauthorized people from getting access to this information. Our internal code of conduct adds additional privacy protection. All data is backed up multiple times a day and encrypted using SSL certificates. See our Privacy Policy for more details.