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01Markers · Lipids

LDL-C

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

The cholesterol carried in low-density lipoprotein particles, which deliver cholesterol to tissues and can build up in artery walls. Labs often calculate it from a standard cholesterol panel rather than measuring it directly.

Measured in
Blood (serum)
Units
mg/dL, mmol/L
Also called
LDL, LDL cholesterol, bad cholesterol
A single long protein wrapped around an empty, roughly spherical cage, with a small coral patch marking the receptor-binding site.
Apolipoprotein B-100 on a human LDL particle · PDB 9E9R

AWhat moves LDL-C

26 of 27 studied

In human studies, 17 of the 27 supplements and practices researched so far lowered LDL-C and 1 raised it. 7 showed no change and 1 had mixed results. 1 was never studied for it.
  • Supported 18
  • No effect 7
  • Conflicting 1
  • Not studied 1
See LDL-C on the evidence map →Check claims about LDL-C →

Moves it18

Human studies found a change. The grade reflects the studies behind it, from A (strongest) to D.

BerberineLowersGrade A

Berberine lowers LDL-C.

61 studies linked

Studied in: Dyslipidemia, T2DM, Hyperlipidemia, Predominantly Chinese RCTS

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L-carnitineLowersGrade A

L-carnitine lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · Modest effect · 60 studies linked

Studied in: General adult, T2DM, CAD, PCOS

91 studies; consolidated from ldl_c, ldl_cholesterol, LDL_cholesterol entries. Effect smaller and less consistent than TG. PCOS-specific data (Salehpour 2019, before-after) contributes C-level evidence within overall B-grade biomarker.

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HIITLowersGrade A

HIIT lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 52 studies linked

Studied in: Overweight obese, T2DM, Metabolic syndrome

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ZincLowersGrade A

Zinc lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 27 studies linked

Studied in: T2D, Dyslipidemia, Adults

heidari_seyedmahalleh_2023 dose-response MA (n=1,067) shows stronger LDL-C reduction at higher doses. Not established in normolipidemic populations. Mechanism may involve upregulation of LDL receptor expression.

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MagnesiumLowersGrade A

Magnesium lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 26 studies linked

Studied in: Dyslipidemic, Cardiometabolic risk

~8.5 mg/dL LDL reduction; statistically significant but below clinical decision threshold; not adequate as primary LDL intervention

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Milk thistleLowersGrade A

Milk thistle lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 20 studies linked

Studied in: NAFLD, Metabolic syndrome, Hyperlipidemia

Approximately −0.22 SMD; −5 to −12 mg/dL. Some MAs report no significant LDL effect. Phospholipid formulations may show larger reductions. Contested (see pc_005).

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Vitamin D3LowersGrade A

Vitamin D3 lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 16 studies linked

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Ubiquinol (CoQ10)LowersGrade A

Ubiquinol (CoQ10) lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 15 studies linked

Studied in: Dyslipidemia, Metabolic syndrome

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Vitamin CLowersGrade A

Vitamin C lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 15 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, Elevated LDL at baseline, Mixed cardiometabolic

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MelatoninLowersGrade A

Melatonin lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · Small effect · 11 studies linked

Studied in: Adults, Metabolic syndrome, Dyslipidemia

Modest; below clinical action thresholds

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Zone 2 cardioLowersGrade A

Zone 2 cardio lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 11 studies linked

Studied in: Adults overweight obese, Adults dyslipidemia

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TaurineLowersGrade A

Taurine lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 7 studies linked

Studied in: Hyperlipidemia, Overweight obese, Adults

27 corpus studies. LDLR upregulation mechanism. MA confirmation.

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IronLowersGrade A

Iron lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 5 studies linked

Studied in: General

No established effect. Theoretical: iron-catalysed LDL oxidation increases ox-LDL but does not change measured LDL-C concentration.

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Red yeast riceLowersGrade A

Red yeast rice lowers LDL-C.

3 studies linked

Studied in: Primary HCH, Statin intolerant, Metabolic syndrome, FCHL

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Omega-3RaisesGrade A

Omega-3 raises LDL-C.

Small effect · 1 study linked

Studied in: Adult, Dyslipidemia, Hypertriglyceridemia

Modest LDL-C rise (~3–8%) observed at higher doses; predominantly reflects shift to large buoyant LDL particles — clinical significance contested. Effect more pronounced in hypertriglyceridemic individuals.

  • Eslick GD, Howe PR, Smith C, Priest R, Bensoussan A (2009)
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CollagenLowersGrade B

Collagen lowers LDL-C.

Human trials · 5 studies linked

Studied in: Adult mixed sex, Cardiometabolic risk, Dyslipidemia

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AshwagandhaLowersGrade B

Ashwagandha lowers LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 2 studies linked

Studied in: Stressed adults, Overweight adults, Indian cohorts

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PQQLowersGrade C

PQQ lowers LDL-C.

Human trials · 1 study linked

Studied in: Japanese adults, High baseline LDL subgroup, Small n

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Studied, no change7

Studies looked and found no meaningful change. That is a result, not missing data.

Vitamin ENo changeGrade A

Studies of Vitamin E found no change in LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 48 studies linked

Studied in: NASH, Nondiabetic, Adult, Adolescent

DUPLICATE: Two ldl_c entries exist — one lowercase (from corey_2015/ahmadi_2014 with grade B) and one uppercase LDL_C (from MAs with grade B). Should be merged. Combined evidence from VE-MA-002, VE-MA-006, corey_2015, ahmadi_2014 yields grade A (null finding across ≥2 RCTs and multiple MAs).

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ResveratrolNo changeGrade A

Studies of Resveratrol found no change in LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · Negligible effect · 46 studies linked

Studied in: Mixed, Adults, Dyslipidemia, Normoglycemic

Majority of MAs show non-significant LDL effect. zhou_2023 confirms null at all doses. See ldl_cholesterol entry for detail. Merged: ldl_c and ldl_cholesterol refer to same biomarker.

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CreatineNo changeGrade A

Studies of Creatine found no change in LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 5 studies linked

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NAD+No changeGrade A

Studies of NAD+ found no change in LDL-C.

Human trials · 5 studies linked

Studied in: Adults overweight obese, European finnish, Healthy, Overweight

Evidence_type corrected from rct_single to rct_multiple. NR monotherapy null for LDL; NRPT formulation LDL increase is pterostilbene-specific.

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L-theanineNo changeGrade B

Studies of L-theanine found no change in LDL-C.

Human trials · 2 studies linked

Studied in: Elderly japanese, Cognitive dysfunction, Green tea mixture not pure ltheanine

Same grade inconsistency as fasting_glucose.

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Vitamin K2No changeGrade B

Studies of Vitamin K2 found no change in LDL-C.

Meta-analysis or review · 2 studies linked

Studied in: General adult, Healthy, European

Consolidated with LDL_cholesterol entry. Hartley 2015: null. 2 studies in corpus.

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NACNo changeGrade B

Studies of NAC found no change in LDL-C.

Human trials · 1 study linked

Studied in: PCOS, Adult

Lipid effects are not a reliable or primary NAC outcome.

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Mixed results1

Studies disagree, or the direction depends on who was studied.

Lion's maneMixed resultsGrade C

Studies of Lion's mane and LDL-C disagree.

Human trials · 1 study linked

Studied in: Healthy volunteers, Asian, Short term, Pilot

Lipid panel measured in Xiao-qian 2021 pilot; direction not extractable

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Not studied1

No usable human study has measured LDL-C with these. A gap is not a negative result: nobody has looked.

Finnish sauna

Commission research on a gap →

BThe molecule

Apolipoprotein B-100 on a human LDL particle

One ApoB-100 wraps each LDL particle like a belt; the empty middle is where the particle's fat and cholesterol sit. The lipid core is not part of the structure.
Apolipoprotein B-100 on a human LDL particle, cut-away view.
Cut-away view: outer atoms shrunk so the highlight shows

Coral: site B, the stretch that binds the LDL receptor.

Structure: PDB 9E9R · Cryo-EM, 9.0 Å · Berndsen et al., Nature 2025. Rendered from atomic coordinates in Blender; 29,417 atoms, about 27.5 nm across. Highlight source.

Why trials measure it. Lowering it has been linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes in large drug trials, so it is one of the most reported outcomes in heart research.

About this marker: LDL: The "Bad" Cholesterol (MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine).

Evidence states come from published human studies found in PubMed and OpenAlex and read by a model pipeline. "Not studied" means no usable human study was found for this marker, which is a gap, not a negative result. Every result links its studies so you can check it.

Research summary for education. Not medical advice.