VLDL cholesterol
What it measures, and what changes the number.
VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) particles are made by the liver and carry triglycerides and some cholesterol through the blood. This line reports the cholesterol carried in those particles.
It is part of a lipid panel, read alongside total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides and non-HDL cholesterol. In most labs VLDL cholesterol is not measured directly but calculated from the triglyceride result, so it closely tracks triglycerides and feeds into the calculated LDL value.
Because it is derived from triglycerides, anything that changes triglycerides changes this number, especially a recent meal or alcohol, which is why fasting samples are often requested. The estimation formula becomes unreliable when triglycerides are very high, and some labs then leave it blank or measure it by other methods. Spanish labs may print it as Colesterol VLDL.
Often read alongside: Triglycerides, Total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, Non-HDL cholesterol