Metabolic

LDL Cholesterol

Unit: mg/dLID: M007

What This Test Measures

"Bad" cholesterol; calculated or directly measured

Conventional vs. Functional Optimal Range

Conventional "Normal"

<100 mg/dL

Your doctor says you're "fine" anywhere in this range

Functional Optimal

≤70 mg/dL

This is where you actually feel great

The gap between these ranges is why you feel terrible with "normal" labs. Conventional medicine waits for disease. Functional medicine optimizes for health.

Gabriel's Take

LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) matters, but LDL particle NUMBER (LDL-P) and ApoB predict heart disease better. You can have low LDL-C but high particle number (dangerous) or high LDL-C with low particle number (safer). Gabriel's optimal LDL-C is 70 or less. Ask for advanced lipid testing (ApoB, LDL-P), not just a basic panel.