LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is called the "bad" cholesterol because it deposits cholesterol in artery walls, where it builds up into plaques that narrow arteries and trigger heart attacks and strokes. Lowering LDL is one of the most reliable ways to cut heart risk.

LDL targets (mg/dL)

• Most adults: under 100.
• People with diabetes or multiple risk factors: under 70.
• People with known heart disease, previous heart attack or stroke: under 55-70 (your Health Expert will advise).

India-specific context

Indians often develop heart disease at LDL levels that would look unremarkable in Western populations. Combined with typically lower HDL, higher triglycerides, a larger waist, and earlier-onset diabetes, an LDL around 130 in an Indian may carry more risk than it would in someone from the West. Numbers don't exist in isolation — total risk matters.

How to lower LDL

• Cut trans fats — hidden in commercial biscuits, namkeens, bakery items, fried street snacks.
• Limit saturated fat — reduce ghee, butter, full-cream dairy, red meat.
• Use oils in moderation — 3-4 teaspoons per person per day; rotate types.
• Eat more soluble fibre — oats, dals, beans, millets, fruits, vegetables.
• Include nuts, seeds and fatty fish a few times a week.
• Lose excess weight and move daily.
• Quit smoking.

Medication

If lifestyle changes don't get LDL to target within a few months, or if you already have heart disease or diabetes, a Health Expert may start a cholesterol-lowering tablet. Generic options are inexpensive and well-studied. Effects are gradual; don't stop them on your own — the protection continues only while you take them, and lipid numbers drift back up within weeks of stopping.