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Cardiovascular

LDL cholesterol and weight: overweight, losing weight and the target value

According to the NVKC, cholesterol is carried through the blood in fat droplets of cholesterol, triglycerides and proteins, and LDL is the droplet that brings cholesterol to the tissues and organs. LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol in those droplets.

According to MedlinePlus, being overweight tends to raise LDL and lower HDL, and according to the NVKC too much LDL makes cholesterol deposit on the vessel walls. Only a blood test shows how high the LDL is.

Star-SHL gives 0 to 2.5 mmol/l for LDL cholesterol, with the Dutch GPs' cardiovascular risk management guideline (NHG) as its source.

The route LDL Cholesterol takes through your body
  1. Liver

    Sends cholesterol out to the rest of your body.

  2. LDL, the package

    Cholesterol is fatty and does not dissolve in blood, so it travels packed. The test counts what is inside these packages.

  3. Your cells

    Take what they need to build their wall and to make hormones.

  4. What the cells do not take up stays in your blood

  5. Artery wall

    The surplus works its way in, builds up over the years and narrows the artery. That can end in a heart attack or a stroke.

General target below 3 mmol/l

Doctor's Assessment Included

LDL cholesterol is the cholesterol in the LDL particles, which carry cholesterol to the tissues and organs. According to the NVKC, raised concentrations make cholesterol deposit on the vessel wall, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

  • The NVKC gives a target value for LDL cholesterol below 3.0 mmol/l; Thuisarts calls below 2.6 usually good at a high risk of cardiovascular disease and below 1.8 at a very high risk.
  • For LDL cholesterol, Unilabs uses 0 to 4.5 mmol/l, Diagnostiek voor U a target below 2.6 mmol/L above age 18, Star-SHL 0 to 2.5 mmol/l (source NHG).
  • According to Thuisarts, a high LDL cholesterol causes no symptoms.

When is this value abnormal?

Decision limits per result, in mmol/l
Result Value (mmol/l)
Below target < 3
Above target 3–5
Markedly elevated ≥ 5

There is no single "normal" LDL value: which value is desirable for you depends on your overall risk of cardiovascular disease. The limit of 3.0 mmol/l is the general target value of the NVKC. Once there is a reason to treat, the NHG guideline CVRM uses a lower target: < 2.6 mmol/l, and < 1.8 mmol/l after cardiovascular disease, up to and including age 70. For people at low to moderately raised risk, the guideline sets no target at all, and lifestyle advice is enough. Above 5.0 mmol/l the NHG advises considering familial dyslipidaemia. Discuss your result with your GP.

Source: NVKC Reference population: Dutch adults

Source: NHG Reference population: Dutch adults

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.

LDL Cholesterol: what Dutch laboratories use

The upper limit runs from 2.5 mmol/l at Star-shl to 4.5 mmol/l at Unilabs.

Reference ranges by group, in mmol/l
Star-shl · Everyone · a limit, not a range · Source: NHG cardiovascular risk management < 2.5 mmol/l
2.5
Unilabs · Everyone 0.0–4.5 mmol/l
0 4.5
Diagnostiek voor U · Everyone · 19 years and older · a limit, not a range · target value < 2.6 mmol/L
2.6
Diagnostiek voor U · Everyone · a limit, not a range · high-risk groups < 1.8 mmol/L
1.8
0 4.95 mmol/l

Source: Star-shl

Source: Unilabs

Source: Diagnostiek voor U

Each value as the laboratory itself publishes it, retrieved in 2026.

LDL Cholesterol: what this test measures

An LDL cholesterol result is the number of millimoles of LDL cholesterol per litre of blood (mmol/l), and Star-SHL lists photometric, a measurement with light, as its method.

LDL Cholesterol: why this value matters

LDL cholesterol matters because, according to Thuisarts, cholesterol that is too high for years increases the risk of, among others, chest pain, a heart attack or a stroke, although not everyone with high cholesterol gets such a disease. According to MedlinePlus, losing weight can help lower LDL cholesterol in someone who is overweight.

LDL Cholesterol: how the blood test works

Referral
No GP referral needed. After the order we arrange the referral through ZorgDomein, within one business day; orders after 17:00 or at the weekend start on the next business day. ZorgDomein emails a barcode, and that barcode is what the draw site needs.
The draw
A blood draw from a vein in the arm, at a partner laboratory's draw site. No home kit, no finger prick.
Which test
Lipid Screening · €80,- · GLP-1 Check-in Panel · €109,- · GLP-1 Extended Panel · €196,- · GLP-1 Baseline Panel · €214,-
Where
650+ draw sites run by independent laboratories across the Netherlands. Draw sites

LDL Cholesterol: how to prepare

Nothing special is needed for these tests.

  1. No need to fast

    Good to know

    Eating beforehand makes little difference to these values. You can have breakfast.

  • Water is always fine. Drink as usual beforehand, it makes the draw easier.
  • Take your usual medication, unless your own doctor told you otherwise.

LDL Cholesterol: when is testing worthwhile?

According to the NVKC, an LDL cholesterol test measures, among other things, the effect of a diet, and is usually ordered alongside total cholesterol as part of the lipid profile.

LDL Cholesterol: symptoms of a high or low value

Low Levels

A lower LDL cholesterol can follow weight loss in someone who is overweight, because according to MedlinePlus losing weight can help lower LDL. Besides weight loss and cholesterol-lowering medicines, no cause of a low LDL appears in the sources read.

High Levels

According to MedlinePlus, being overweight tends to raise LDL cholesterol, and too little exercise can raise LDL through weight gain. According to MedlinePlus, LDL also rises with saturated fat and cholesterol in what someone eats.

LDL Cholesterol: causes of a low or high value

What lowers the value

  • Cholesterol-lowering medicines, such as statins

    If lifestyle changes alone do not lower LDL enough, cholesterol-lowering medicines, including statins, may be needed.

  • Losing weight when overweight

    If someone is overweight, losing weight can help lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

What raises the value

  • Saturated fat and cholesterol in food

    Saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat make your LDL level rise.

  • Overweight

    Being overweight tends to raise the LDL cholesterol level and to lower the HDL cholesterol level.

  • Inherited high cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia)

    High cholesterol can run in families; familial hypercholesterolaemia is an inherited form of high blood cholesterol.

  • Certain medicines, such as steroids

    Certain medicines, including steroids, some blood pressure medicines and HIV medicines, can raise LDL.

  • Chronic kidney disease, diabetes or HIV

    Diseases such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes and HIV can cause a higher LDL.

LDL Cholesterol: lifestyle and this value

According to Thuisarts, losing weight if you are too heavy is one of the most important things to bring a high LDL cholesterol down, alongside healthy eating, moving enough and stopping smoking. Discuss a raised LDL with your GP.

LDL Cholesterol: frequently asked questions

Does LDL cholesterol fall with weight loss?

According to MedlinePlus, losing weight when overweight can help lower the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood.

LDL Cholesterol: sources

  1. Nederlandse Vereniging voor Klinische Chemie en Laboratoriumgeneeskunde. Alles over testen. Over AFP: "De referentiewaarden kunnen verschillen tussen laboratoria, afhankelijk van de methode. Ga daarom uitsluitend af op de referentiewaarden van het laboratorium dat het onderzoek heeft uitgevoerd en interpreteer nooit AFP-uitslagen van verschillende laboratoria door elkaar." Geraadpleegd 14 juli 2026. (retrieved 2026) allesovertesten.nl
  2. Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap. NHG-Standaard Cardiovasculair risicomanagement. Praktische handleiding, 2024. Geraadpleegd 14 juli 2026. (retrieved 2026) richtlijnen.nhg.org
  3. Star-shl, Labbepalingen (referentiewaarden per bepaling), star-shl.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) star-shl.nl
  4. Unilabs, Bepalingenklapper (referentiewaarden per bepaling), bepalingenklapper.nl, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) bepalingenklapper.nl
  5. Diagnostiek voor U, eLabgids (Referentiewaarden DvU), diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu, geraadpleegd 2026-10-01 (retrieved 2026) diagnostiek.getincontrol.eu
  6. MedlinePlus, LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol, medlineplus.gov, geraadpleegd 2026-10-17 (retrieved 2026) medlineplus.gov

Test Products

This marker is included in the following test panels.

GLP-1

GLP-1 Check-in Panel

The 3-month safety and progress check clinics do: pancreas, liver, kidneys, salts and your metabolic progress on GLP-1 medication.

ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) HDL Cholesterol HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) Potassium Sodium Glucose (Fasting) Total Cholesterol Lipase Creatinine Triglycerides eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) LDL Cholesterol Cholesterol/HDL Ratio Non-HDL Cholesterol LDL/HDL Ratio
€109,-
GLP-1

GLP-1 Extended Panel

The 6-month measurement: everything from the check-in plus insulin, ApoB and your nutrients — especially relevant if you have been eating much less for a while.

Insulin (Fasting) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) HDL Cholesterol HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) ApoB (Apolipoprotein B) Vitamin B12 Ferritin Potassium Sodium Glucose (Fasting) Total Cholesterol Albumin Lipase Creatinine Vitamin D (25-OH) Triglycerides HOMA-IR eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) LDL Cholesterol Cholesterol/HDL Ratio Non-HDL Cholesterol LDL/HDL Ratio
€196,-
GLP-1

GLP-1 Baseline Panel

Your starting point before the first injection: blood sugar, cholesterol, pancreas, liver, kidneys, thyroid and nutrients in one measurement.

Insulin (Fasting) ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) AST (Aspartate Aminotransferase) HDL Cholesterol HbA1c (Glycated Hemoglobin) Bilirubin (Total) ApoB (Apolipoprotein B) Vitamin B12 Ferritin Potassium Sodium Glucose (Fasting) Total Cholesterol Albumin Lipase Creatinine Vitamin D (25-OH) Triglycerides Bilirubin (Direct) Bilirubin (Indirect) HOMA-IR eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) LDL Cholesterol Cholesterol/HDL Ratio Non-HDL Cholesterol LDL/HDL Ratio
€214,-

Medical reviewer

Medical standards

Dr. Naimi oversees the medical standards behind our content and assessments.

Medical policy
CIBG Ministerie van Volksgezondheid,
Welzijn en Sport Official BIG registration BIG 49928676701 Opens in a new tab

LDL Cholesterol

€16,-