For most adults, LDL is counted as optimal below 100 mg/dL, and the bar drops to below 70 mg/dL once cardiovascular risk is high. HDL runs the other way, wanting to be above 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women. Anything below 150 mg/dL is considered normal on triglycerides. Your VDPC provider reads every one of those numbers in the context of your full cardiovascular risk profile.

Going 9 to 12 hours without food ahead of your lipid panel gives the most accurate triglyceride reading, although non-fasting panels see more and more use for routine LDL and total cholesterol screening. Whether fasting is recommended in your case comes down to what the panel is being used for and to your specific situation, and your VDPC provider will tell you which applies.

Sometimes, yes. Changing what you eat, moving more, losing weight and cutting out smoking can all lower LDL by a meaningful margin and improve the rest of your lipid panel. Where levels sit at the borderline and overall risk is low, lifestyle intervention may well be the first recommendation. Where the risk profile is higher or LDL is significantly elevated, medication is typically needed alongside those same lifestyle changes.

Adults whose levels are normal and who carry no significant risk factors are generally advised to screen every four to six years. Anyone with elevated cholesterol, anyone already on treatment and anyone at higher cardiovascular risk belongs on annual or more frequent testing. The interval that is right for you comes from your VDPC provider, set against your individual health picture.