Biomarkers · Cardiometabolic
Non-HDL Cholesterol
Both low and high values go with higher risk of death. In NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019, each standard deviation above average goes with 7% lower risk of death. Low LDL in older adults often reflects existing illness, so the raw pattern looks reversed. Trials support lowering LDL. NHANES shows the opposite direction
Non-HDL Cholesterol and risk of death
Published curve higher than the NHANES fitNHANES fit higher
Risk of death relative to each curve's own reference value, so the two curves need not cross 1 at the same point. The dotted vertical line marks the NHANES median.
Non-HDL Cholesterol by age and sex
Each bar runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile, the darker part from the 25th to the 75th, and the tick is the median. Not a reference range or a target.
The percentiles as a table
| Sex | Age | 5th | 25th | Median | 75th | 95th | n | Cycle / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 20-39 | 73.0 | 99.0 | 121 | 150 | 198 | 1,435 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | 40-59 | 91.0 | 118 | 141 | 170 | 215 | 1,555 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | 60+ | 72.0 | 104 | 131 | 160 | 205 | 1,900 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| All | all | 76.0 | 105 | 132 | 160 | 207 | 4,890 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 20-39 | 78.0 | 102 | 128 | 161 | 208 | 685 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 40-59 | 90.5 | 121 | 145 | 172 | 213 | 727 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | 60+ | 67.0 | 99.0 | 125 | 152 | 196 | 965 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Men | all | 76.0 | 107 | 134 | 164 | 207 | 2,377 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 20-39 | 68.0 | 95.0 | 116 | 138 | 182 | 750 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 40-59 | 90.2 | 116 | 139 | 164 | 216 | 828 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | 60+ | 79.0 | 108 | 135 | 164 | 216 | 935 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
| Women | all | 77.0 | 105 | 130 | 157 | 207 | 2,513 | NHANES 2017-2018 |
What studies found when this marker was changed
They describe what happened in those study groups, not a recommendation. See all catalogued interventions.
Measured changes in Non-HDL Cholesterol, study by study
6 effects with a numeric size, each from one study arm: the dot is the reported change, the line its 95% interval where one was given. Study results in the groups studied, not predictions for a person.
| Type | Intervention | Reported effect | Evidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| nutraceutical | Bile-salt-hydrolase-active L. reuteri NCIMB 30242 capsules daily for 9 weeks in hypercholesterolaemic adults | Non-HDL-C reduced by 11.30% relative to placebo at 9 weeks (P<0.001); LDL-C -11.64% | RCT | Jones ML, Martoni CJ, Prakash S. Cholesterol lowering and inhibition of sterol… |
| nutraceutical | Daily nutraceutical containing B. longum BB536, red yeast rice extract (10 mg/day monacolin K), niacin and coenzyme Q10 for 12 weeks in low-CV-risk adults with LDL-C 130-200 mg/dL | Non-HDL-C reduced 24% vs placebo at 12 weeks (P<0.0001); LDL-C -25.7%, total cholesterol -16.7% | RCT | Ruscica M, Pavanello C, Gandini S, et al. Nutraceutical approach for the… |
| nutraceutical | Oral water-soluble phosphatidylcholine 500 mg twice daily for 12 weeks in patients with combined hyperlipidaemia and moderate CV risk | Non-HDL-C decreased 13.2% (absolute -0.6 mmol/L) vs 4.3% (-0.2 mmol/L) with placebo over 12 weeks (p=0.001) | RCT | Kukharchuk VV, Ponomarenko EA, Lisitsa AV, et al. Vitaphospholip (water-soluble… |
| pharmacologic | Olezarsen (hepatic-targeted APOC3 antisense oligonucleotide) in adults with severe hypertriglyceridaemia (RCTs, 12-month follow-up) | Non-HDL-C lowered by 23.72% (95% CI 20.09-27.35) vs placebo, with triglycerides -59.95% and LDL-C increased | meta-analysis | Rehman A, Rajdeep D, Mohnkern JD, et al. Efficacy of Olezarsen in Severe… |
| pharmacologic | Coadministration of ezetimibe 10 mg and fenofibrate 160 mg daily for 12 weeks in patients with mixed hyperlipidaemia | Combination therapy reduced non-HDL-C by 30.4% at 12 weeks (LDL-C -20.4%, TG -44.0%, HDL-C +19.0%) | RCT | Farnier M, Freeman MW, Macdonell G, et al. Efficacy and safety of the… |
| pharmacologic | Raloxifene 60 mg daily for 6 months in healthy postmenopausal women aged 45-72 | Non-HDL-C reduced 10% vs placebo at 6 months with raloxifene 60 mg/day (120 mg: 9%; continuous combined HRT: 10%) | RCT | Anderson PW, Cox DA, Sashegyi A, et al. Effects of raloxifene and hormone… |
Sources
- Risk curve: Huang Y 2023 (PMID 36844732): all-cause HR 1.53 (1.35-1.74) first (lowest) quintile vs highest quintile of non-HDL-C; U-shaped with nadir around 4 mmol/L. Scaled to US values (NHANES).
- Huang Y, Yan MQ, Zhou D, Chen CL, Feng YQ. The U-shaped association of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in general adult population. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2023;10:1065750.
- NHANES curve: our Cox model adjusted for age and sex, NHANES 1999–2018 with linked mortality to 2019.
Map Non-HDL Cholesterol against another biomarker.
Related markers: Apolipoprotein B to A1 Ratio (ApoB/ApoA1) · Asymmetric Dimethylarginine (ADMA) · Homoarginine · Lipid Accumulation Product (LAP) · Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) · Metabolic Syndrome (Harmonized Definition) · Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO)