LDL a little high on my check-up: where do I start?

A slightly high LDL is a common result: the 2009 national survey found an average of 128.7 mg/dL in Thai adults. The first step is to have a doctor read it together with your other values, your age and your family history. In everyday life, MedlinePlus, from the US National Library of Medicine, lists these factors as related to LDL: the saturated fat and cholesterol in the food you eat, body weight, physical activity and smoking. Among Thai cooking ingredients, coconut milk, pork belly and chicken skin are examples of ones high in saturated fat.

What does "LDL a little high" on my report mean?

LDL is one of the four values usually shown in the blood fat section of a health check. MedlinePlus says LDL is sometimes called "bad" cholesterol.

The level MedlinePlus uses

The MedlinePlus cholesterol levels test page uses less than 100 mg/dL as a healthy LDL level for adults aged 20 and over. This is a US example, not a Thai standard. Your lab may print its own reference range, and MedlinePlus says a healthy level for you may depend on your age, family history, lifestyle and other risk factors.

LDL is often calculated

MedlinePlus explains that LDL marked "calculated" is an estimate based on total cholesterol, HDL and triglycerides; some labs measure it directly. Either way, the doctor reads LDL together with your other values, not on its own.

For the other values on the report, see I'm in my early 30s. Should I start watching my blood fats?

Is a slightly high LDL common in Thai adults?

Yes. Thailand's National Health Examination Survey (NHES) measures blood fats in a large sample of adults from every region.

What the national surveys found

The 2009 figures come from a study by Aekplakorn and colleagues at Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University. The same study found that among people whose LDL was high, only 17.8% knew about it, which is one reason a health check is worth doing and worth reading carefully.

How LDL changes with age

The 2025 analysis by researchers from Chulalongkorn University and Ramathibodi Hospital looked at adults who were not taking medicine for blood fats and had no heart or blood vessel problems. Median LDL was highest in men aged 45 to 49, at 129 mg/dL, and in women aged 55 to 59, at 137 mg/dL. The researchers noted that LDL in Thai adults was notably high compared with other populations.

The limits of these numbers

Both surveys measured each person once, and the 2009 figures are now more than 15 years old. They tell you that a value a little above the US level is common among Thai adults. They cannot tell you what your own value means; that needs a doctor who knows your history.

What can affect LDL in everyday life?

MedlinePlus lists several things that affect LDL. Some are part of everyday life; others, such as age, sex and genes, are not.

Everyday factors MedlinePlus lists

Other factors

MedlinePlus notes that cholesterol tends to rise as people get older, that LDL in women tends to rise after menopause, and that genes partly decide how much cholesterol the body makes. Some medicines and some health conditions can also affect LDL, which is why the doctor needs to know what you take.

Which Thai foods are high in saturated fat?

In Thai food, saturated fat comes mostly from coconut milk, fatty cuts of pork, chicken skin, lard and some frying oils. The figures below are per 100 g, from the US Department of Agriculture's food database (USDA FoodData Central).

Saturated fat in common Thai ingredients

Figures for cooked dishes depend on the recipe and the portion. Pork belly in moo krob or moo sam chan, crispy chicken skin and coconut-milk curries such as green curry, massaman and chu chee are examples of dishes that use several of these ingredients or a lot of one.

How much of their energy Thai office workers get from fat

A 2014 study from Mahidol University's Faculty of Public Health surveyed 215 office workers aged 20 to 50 in Bangkok. Men got about 29.6% of their energy from fat and women about 28.6%. The figures come from self-reported food records in a small urban sample, so they do not describe the whole country.

For the types of fat in cooking oils, see How do cooking oils differ, and what fats do they contain?

The daily reference value

The Thai Reference Daily Intake (Thai RDI) for saturated fat is 20 g a day, based on a ceiling of no more than 10% of energy in a 2,000 kcal diet, so it is an upper guide rather than an amount to reach. The Thai RDI for cholesterol is 300 mg. UK guidance, quoted by the NHS, says the average man should eat no more than 30 g of saturated fat a day and the average woman no more than 20 g.

How can Thai meals have less saturated fat?

You do not have to give up the dishes you like. If you want less saturated fat in a day, have the dishes high in it less often and swap in other choices on some days.

Swaps that fit Thai meals

What the NHS suggests

The NHS suggests grilling food rather than frying and choosing lean cuts of meat. For Thai food, it suggests a stir-fried or steamed dish with chicken, fish or vegetables, and watching out for curries made with coconut milk. It also explains that on UK food labels, more than 5 g of saturated fat per 100 g counts as high and 1.5 g or less as low.

What general guidance applies to all adults?

The guidance below is general advice for all adults, not specific advice about LDL.

Physical activity

The World Health Organization advises adults to do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity a week, plus muscle-strengthening on 2 or more days, and to limit time spent sitting.

Weight and smoking

If your weight has gone up over the past few years, or if you smoke, mention it to the doctor when you go through the result.

What should I tell and ask the doctor?

The doctor can read your LDL most accurately when they know your whole picture, not just one number.

What to bring

• this result and any earlier results
• your family history, such as whether close family has had heart or blood vessel problems
• how you eat, drink, move and smoke in a typical week
• any medicines you take regularly

What to ask

• what your LDL means alongside your other values
• what to watch in everyday life
• when to test again

Do not start, stop or change medicines on your own. If you take regular medicines, ask a doctor or pharmacist before making big changes.