Lower CholesterolCholesterol Lipoprotein a – Do you know your levels?
Lipoprotein(a) is a type of cholesterol we all have; however, it’s not a cholesterol routinely monitored by physicians. Typically you receive a standard lipid panel which gives you the following labs:
- Total Cholesterol
- LDL Cholesterol
- HDL Cholesterol
- Triglycerides (and sometimes VLDL Cholesterol)
For those of you with a strong family history of heart disease, I encourage you to have your physician do routine tests beyond this standard lipid panel.
If the above labs are within normal, there is usually no reason a physician would order any further tests. For those of you with a strong family history of heart disease, I encourage you to have your physician do routine tests beyond this standard lipid panel.
You need to have a comprehensive lipid panel. A comprehensive lipid panel tests you for the following labs:
- Total Cholesterol
- LDL Cholesterol
- HDL Cholesterol
- Triglycerides
- C-Reactive Protein (measure of inflammation)
- Insulin
- Homocysteine
- VLDL Cholesterol
- Remnant Lipoprotein
- Dense LDL III
- Dense LDL IV
- Buoyant HDL 2b
- LDL Phenotype/Size
- Lipoprotein(a)
Read more: The function of Lipoprotein(a).
Eight steps to lower your cholesterol
All the best,
Lisa Nelson, RD
Recommended resource
Where I send people for supplements
Food first, always. When a supplement is worth considering, the front of the bottle is marketing and the supplement facts panel is the actual content. Two bottles at the same price can differ by half in what they deliver.
My dispensary carries practitioner-grade products, most of which aren’t sold direct to consumers, with the reasoning behind each one.
I may earn a commission on dispensary orders.