Non-HDL cholesterol is the total cholesterol in your blood minus the high- density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which is the "good" cholesterol. Essentially, non-HDL cholesterol includes all the "bad" types of cholesterol that can contribute to plaque buildup in your arteries, such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), and lipoprotein(a)

. It is considered a more comprehensive measure of atherogenic (artery- clogging) cholesterol particles than LDL cholesterol alone, because it accounts for all cholesterol types that can promote cardiovascular disease. Non-HDL cholesterol is calculated by subtracting HDL cholesterol from total cholesterol:

Non-HDL cholesterol=Total cholesterol−HDL cholesterol\text{Non-HDL cholesterol}=\text{Total cholesterol}-\text{HDL cholesterol}Non-HDL cholesterol=Total cholesterol−HDL cholesterol

This measure does not require fasting before testing, unlike LDL cholesterol, because it is not affected by triglyceride levels. Non-HDL cholesterol is increasingly recognized as a better predictor of heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol, especially in people with high triglycerides or those who do not fast before blood tests

. A healthy target for non-HDL cholesterol is generally no more than 30 mg/dL higher than the recommended LDL target. For example, if your LDL goal is under 100 mg/dL, your non-HDL cholesterol should be 130 mg/dL or less

. High non-HDL cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of atherosclerosis, heart attacks, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems

. Managing non-HDL cholesterol typically involves lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet, regular exercise, and sometimes medications like statins

. In summary, non-HDL cholesterol is a key marker of cardiovascular risk that captures all harmful cholesterol types in the blood except the protective HDL cholesterol