Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides)
The standard cholesterol workup: total cholesterol, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL and triglycerides.
The baseline cardiovascular screen — and the panel most disrupted by androgen use. Necessary but not sufficient; ApoB adds the particle count that LDL-C alone can miss.
The plan of attack
In this order. Most people start at step four, which is why they change five things at once and learn nothing.
- Confirm the number is real
Fasting vs non-fasting. Triglycerides rise substantially after eating; total and HDL cholesterol barely move. Because LDL is usually calculated from triglycerides, a non-fasted draw distorts the LDL too — and the error is worst in exactly the people with high triglycerides. Fast 10–12 hours if LDL matters. Guidelines increasingly accept non-fasting lipids, but be consistent between tests. - Read it with its partner
Fast 9–12h for accurate triglycerides (LDL-C is calculated from them). Draw it alongside: ApoB (Apolipoprotein B), Lipoprotein(a) — Lp(a), Fasting Insulin. - Work out which direction is yours
If it's high — High LDL/ApoB drives atherosclerosis. High triglycerides above ~500 mg/dL also risks pancreatitis.
If it's low — Very low HDL is common on androgens and associated with elevated risk. Very low LDL is generally fine and often therapeutic. - Fix it in this order
Nutrition. Triglycerides respond fast — cut refined carbohydrate, added sugar (especially fructose) and alcohol; results often show in weeks. For LDL/ApoB: reduce saturated fat, add soluble fiber.
Lifestyle. Aerobic exercise raises HDL and lowers triglycerides; fat loss improves everything; stop smoking; moderate alcohol sharply.
Supplements. Omega-3 (EPA/DHA) meaningfully lowers triglycerides. Berberine, psyllium and plant sterols for LDL. Niacin raises HDL but lacks outcome benefit.
Hormones. Statins/ezetimibe for LDL. Note oral androgens are uniquely damaging to lipids — injectables are far gentler.
Compounds. Triglyceride:HDL ratio is a free insulin-resistance readout hiding inside a $9 test. On any androgen protocol expect HDL suppression — track ApoB alongside.
Work down the list, not across it. Adding a compound on top of an unfixed diet is why generic protocols fail. - Retest
Every 3–6 months on androgens; annually otherwise. Change one thing at a time, or the retest can't tell you which thing worked.
How to fix it
📚 2026 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Dyslipidemia.
🩸 Test your Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides)
Order directly through Marek Diagnostics — no doctor's visit needed, drawn at any Quest location in the US. Code CAMERON applies 10% off automatically.
Order this test — 10% off → Browse all 102 markers →What Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) is usually tested alongside
On its own, one marker is a data point. These panels include Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) plus the markers that make it interpretable — each names every test, why it is on the list, and loads the whole set into your cart in one click at 10% off.
includes this + 8 more markers — Anyone over 30, anyone with a family history of early heart disease, or anyone who's been told their cholesterol is 'fine' and wants to know what that actually means.
includes this + 7 more markers — Weight that won't shift, energy crashes after meals, expanding waistline, family history of diabetes, or a fasting glucose that's crept into the 90s.
What moves your Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides)
12 compounds and 2 supplements in the Vault have a documented effect on this marker, or are a reason to have measured it first:
Browse all 237 compounds & 350 supplements →
Would you feel it? Symptoms Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) helps explain
People rarely search for a marker — they search for how they feel. These are the complaints where this marker is worth checking, and whether it is a first-line test or a follow-up once the obvious causes are ruled out.
Why your Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) might be wrong
Most abnormal results are interference, not disease. These are the things that measurably move this specific marker — check them before you change anything. Each one says whether the number is wrong and should be repeated, badly timed and should be redrawn, or real with a cause worth explaining.
Triglycerides rise substantially after eating; total and HDL cholesterol barely move. Because LDL is usually calculated from triglycerides, a non-fasted draw distorts the LDL too — and the error is worst in exactly the people with high triglycerides.
Fast 10–12 hours if LDL matters. Guidelines increasingly accept non-fasting lipids, but be consistent between tests.
Cholesterol falls during acute illness and can stay low for weeks — a lipid panel after a hospital admission understates your true level.
Wait six weeks after any significant illness or surgery.
Active fat loss mobilises lipids and can transiently raise LDL. Some people show a striking LDL rise on ketogenic diets.
Measure at weight stability, not mid-cut.
Lower HDL substantially, and oral 17-alpha-alkylated compounds do so dramatically.
Expect it on TRT; note it rather than being alarmed by it in isolation.
What Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) means in combination
A single marker tells you a little. Combinations tell you the story — these are the named patterns this marker takes part in, and what each one points at.
Classic compensated insulin resistance. Your pancreas is working overtime to keep glucose normal — so the standard screening tests look fine while the underlying problem builds.
This is the most reversible stage. Fat loss, resistance training, post-meal walks, fiber, reduced refined carbohydrate. Consider berberine or inositol; metformin/GLP-1 if clinically appropriate.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver — now the most common liver disease there is. It gets dismissed as "slightly high liver enzymes" for years while fibrosis accumulates silently.
5–10% body weight loss meaningfully reduces liver fat and is the single highest-yield intervention. Cut alcohol and fructose, raise protein. If ALT has been up for months, an ELF score answers "is there actual scarring" without a biopsy.
Insulin resistance reduces uric acid excretion by the kidney. So a raised urate is very often a metabolic signal arriving before anyone has a painful toe.
Treat the insulin resistance and urate usually follows. Cut fructose and alcohol (beer especially). Do not start urate-lowering drugs off one reading — that is a clinical decision with its own trade-offs.
The single most under-monitored consequence of androgen use. Androgens — especially oral 17-alpha-alkylated compounds — suppress HDL dramatically and raise ApoB. There are no symptoms; the cost is cumulative arterial damage measured in decades.
Prefer injectables over orals and minimize oral duration. Add cardio, soluble fiber, omega-3s. Many long-term users treat ApoB pharmacologically (statin/ezetimibe) with a physician — that's a rational trade if you're committed to being on hormones for years. Track ApoB every 3 months, not just a standard lipid panel.
What to test next
Markers rarely answer alone. These are the ones that put Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) in context — each with its own full breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Total <200 · LDL-C <100 · HDL-C >40 · Triglycerides <150 mg/dL Ranges vary by laboratory and assay — always compare to the range printed on your own report.
LDL-C <70–80 · Triglycerides <100 (many target <80) · HDL-C >50 · Triglyceride:HDL ratio <2 — that ratio is a strong practical surrogate for insulin resistance.
High LDL/ApoB drives atherosclerosis. High triglycerides above ~500 mg/dL also risks pancreatitis.
Very low HDL is common on androgens and associated with elevated risk. Very low LDL is generally fine and often therapeutic.
You can order Lipid Panel (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides) directly through Marek Diagnostics without a doctor's visit — drawn at any Quest Diagnostics location in the US. Code CAMERON applies 10% off automatically.