LabTestSuperstore.
Range Atlas

AI-collected, not medically reviewed. Compare source context, not your health status.

Choose the units printed on your report.

LDL cholesterol (LDL-C): ranges and targets

3 sources / 7 ranges · mg/dL

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Categories and treatment goals are not interchangeable. Blank chart areas do not mean normal. Display values are rounded.

Shared scale (mg/dL)

40120200

Clinical categories and treatment goals

NICE NG238

Secondary prevention target

United Kingdom · Any sex · adult

Secondary prevention of CVD while taking lipid-lowering treatment, with or without diabetes. Not a general adult interval.

≤ 77.34 mg/dL

40120200

Arrow: continues beyond the displayed scale.

Source details: NICE NG238, Secondary prevention target
Native values:
≤ 2 mmol/L
Context:
Secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in people taking lipid-lowering treatments, with or without diabetes. Not a general adult reference interval.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Secondary prevention of CVD while taking lipid-lowering treatment, with or without diabetes. Not a general adult interval. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2023-12-14
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Official NICE indexed recommendation checked September 20, 2026; direct publisher retrieval did not return readable text. Not a medical review.
Locator:
NG238 recommendation 1.7.1
Read NICE NG238 (new tab)

MedlinePlus (NLM) / 5 ranges

Optimal category

United States · Any sex · adult

Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved.

< 100 mg/dL

40120200

Arrow: continues beyond the displayed scale.

Source details: MedlinePlus (NLM), Optimal category
Native values:
< 100 mg/dL
Context:
General categories for healthy adults. Coronary disease or elevated risk may call for different goals. Printed whole-number endpoints are not extended into a continuous classification.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2024-03-22
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Publisher-hosted text checked September 20, 2026. Not a medical review.
Locator:
What should my LDL level be? Table
Read MedlinePlus (NLM) (new tab)

Near optimal / above optimal category

United States · Any sex · adult

Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved.

100 to 129 mg/dL

40120200
Source details: MedlinePlus (NLM), Near optimal / above optimal category
Native values:
100 to 129 mg/dL
Context:
General categories for healthy adults. Coronary disease or elevated risk may call for different goals. Printed whole-number endpoints are not extended into a continuous classification.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2024-03-22
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Publisher-hosted text checked September 20, 2026. Not a medical review.
Locator:
What should my LDL level be? Table
Read MedlinePlus (NLM) (new tab)

Borderline high category

United States · Any sex · adult

Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved.

130 to 159 mg/dL

40120200
Source details: MedlinePlus (NLM), Borderline high category
Native values:
130 to 159 mg/dL
Context:
General categories for healthy adults. Coronary disease or elevated risk may call for different goals. Printed whole-number endpoints are not extended into a continuous classification.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2024-03-22
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Publisher-hosted text checked September 20, 2026. Not a medical review.
Locator:
What should my LDL level be? Table
Read MedlinePlus (NLM) (new tab)

High category

United States · Any sex · adult

Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved.

160 to 189 mg/dL

40120200
Source details: MedlinePlus (NLM), High category
Native values:
160 to 189 mg/dL
Context:
General categories for healthy adults. Coronary disease or elevated risk may call for different goals. Printed whole-number endpoints are not extended into a continuous classification.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2024-03-22
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Publisher-hosted text checked September 20, 2026. Not a medical review.
Locator:
What should my LDL level be? Table
Read MedlinePlus (NLM) (new tab)

Very high category

United States · Any sex · adult

Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved.

≥ 190 mg/dL

40120200

Arrow: continues beyond the displayed scale.

Source details: MedlinePlus (NLM), Very high category
Native values:
≥ 190 mg/dL
Context:
General categories for healthy adults. Coronary disease or elevated risk may call for different goals. Printed whole-number endpoints are not extended into a continuous classification.
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Healthy adults; goals may differ with coronary disease or elevated risk. Printed endpoint precision is preserved. Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
2024-03-22
Last verified in this pass:
2026-09-20. Recorded access: 2026-09-20.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Publisher-hosted text checked September 20, 2026. Not a medical review.
Locator:
What should my LDL level be? Table
Read MedlinePlus (NLM) (new tab)

Named clinician and other published views

Mark Hyman

Published view

United States · Any sex · adult

Functional-medicine optimal LDL target (under 70 mg/dL).

Upper boundary 70 mg/dL

40120200

Arrow: continues beyond the displayed scale.

Source details: Mark Hyman, Published view
Native values:
Upper boundary 70 mg/dL
Context:
Functional-medicine optimal LDL target (under 70 mg/dL).
Population / collection / assay:
any; adult. Functional-medicine optimal LDL target (under 70 mg/dL). Any additional details not recorded here remain unspecified.
Source date/version:
Not recorded
Last verified in this pass:
Not rechecked. Recorded access: 2026-06-11.
Verification:
verified_numeric_source. Inherited extraction, not rechecked in the September 20 pass. Endpoint inclusion, source version and any context absent from the original record remain unverified.
Endpoint inclusion is not verified. A boundary label does not imply ≤ or ≥.
Locator:
Original source link and basis note
Read Mark Hyman (new tab)

Units change the display, not the source population or clinical purpose. Source-native values remain in each disclosure. Source comparison in common US units

Methodology, units and limitations

AI-collected source-comparison prototype. Not medically reviewed. Not a diagnostic tool. Reference intervals describe a source population; categories and treatment goals have different purposes. Named views do not establish a universal optimum. Country identifies a source, not a biological normal for everyone there.

Source counts use stable publisher IDs; one source may supply several legitimate categories. Source dates and recorded access dates are separate. Older rows explicitly marked not rechecked have not received a new source review. Missing age, fasting, assay and risk details are not inferred.

Strict < and > differ from inclusive ≤ and ≥. Approximate and unknown boundaries are labeled, not converted into exact cutoffs. Printed endpoint precision is preserved; gaps between source categories are not silently filled.

Bars show only the visible portion of each interval. Arrows indicate continuation; small intervals are not enlarged to imply a wider range. Display rounding does not change stored values. Numerically equivalent units do not change the numbers.

Personal-result entry is not available in this release. Do not enter health results into the marker finder. The tool does not classify you, recommend treatment or adjust ranges for your age.