Cholesterol in the smaller LDL fraction
Biomarker library
Heart Health
Small LDL-C
Small dense LDL is a subtype of LDL: smaller, heavier particles that each carry less cholesterol but are especially good at getting into artery walls.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
They stay in the bloodstream longer, are more easily oxidised and stick more readily to the artery wall. They tend to appear when triglycerides are high and HDL is low, the classic pattern of insulin resistance.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
A low level means more of your LDL is in larger, more buoyant particles, which is a more favourable pattern.
Higher than the range
Higher levels are linked with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high triglycerides, weight around the middle and inactivity, and with higher cardiovascular risk over and above total LDL.
What can help
Small dense LDL responds well to anything that improves insulin sensitivity: losing excess weight, regular exercise, cutting sugar and refined carbohydrates, and limiting alcohol. LDL-lowering medicines reduce it too.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your small LDL-C.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.