Lipid Panel Test: Total Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, Normal Ranges, and Results
A lipid panel is a blood test that measures the main fats and fat-carrying particles linked with artery health, heart attack risk, stroke risk,...
Lipoprotein Fractionation Test: LDL, HDL, VLDL, IDL, Lipoprotein Particles, and Results
A lipoprotein fractionation test gives a closer look at the particles that carry cholesterol and triglycerides through the blood. A standard lipid panel reports...
Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] Test: High Lp(a), Normal Range, Genetics, and Heart Disease Risk
Lipoprotein(a), usually written as Lp(a), is a cholesterol-carrying particle that can raise the risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and calcific aortic...
Low HDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Heart Risk, Metabolic Health, and Meaning
HDL cholesterol is often called “good cholesterol,” but a low HDL result is more than a simple good-or-bad number. HDL is part of a...
Low LDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Very Low LDL, Health Effects, and Meaning
LDL cholesterol is often called “bad cholesterol” because high levels can build up inside artery walls and raise the risk of heart attack and...
Low Total Cholesterol Test: Causes, Health Effects, and Meaning
A low total cholesterol test result means the combined amount of cholesterol carried in your major blood lipoproteins is below the range most laboratories...
Low Triglycerides Blood Test: Causes, Diet, Health Effects, and Meaning
Triglycerides are fats that travel in the blood and store energy for later use. Most people hear about triglycerides when the result is high,...
Low VLDL Cholesterol Test: Causes, Triglycerides, and Meaning
Low VLDL cholesterol usually means your triglycerides are low, because very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) is the main particle that carries triglycerides made by the liver....
Lp(a) and ApoB: Interpreting Inherited and Particle-Related Heart Risk
Lipoprotein(a), written as Lp(a), and apolipoprotein B, written as ApoB, look at cholesterol risk from two different angles. Lp(a) is mostly inherited and often...
LP-IR Score Test: Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Score, Normal Range, Diabetes Risk, and Results
The LP-IR score is a blood test result that estimates insulin resistance from patterns in lipoprotein particles, not from glucose or insulin alone. It...
Lp-PLA2 Test: High Lp-PLA2, Vascular Inflammation, Stroke Risk, and Heart Risk
Lp-PLA2 is a blood marker linked to inflammation inside artery walls, especially inflammation tied to oxidized LDL particles and atherosclerotic plaque. Unlike broad inflammation...
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) Test: High MPO, Artery Inflammation, Plaque Risk, and Heart Disease
Myeloperoxidase, usually shortened to MPO, is an enzyme released mainly by activated white blood cells called neutrophils and monocytes. In the right place, MPO...
NMR Lipoprotein Profile Test: LDL-P, HDL-P, Particle Size, Insulin Resistance, and Heart Risk
An NMR lipoprotein profile is an advanced cholesterol blood test that looks beyond how much cholesterol is in the blood and measures the lipoprotein...
Non-HDL Cholesterol Test: High Non-HDL, Normal Range, Atherogenic Cholesterol, and Heart Risk
Non-HDL cholesterol is a simple number from a standard cholesterol panel, but it often gives a clearer view of artery-related risk than total cholesterol...
Non-HDL Cholesterol vs LDL Cholesterol: What Is the Difference?
Non-HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol both help estimate the amount of artery-clogging cholesterol in the blood, but they are not the same measurement. LDL...
Omega-3 Index and Triglycerides: Interpreting Heart and Metabolic Risk
The Omega-3 Index and triglycerides describe two different sides of lipid health. Triglycerides show how much fat-rich fuel is circulating in the blood, often...
Omega-3 Index Test: Low Omega-3 Levels, Normal Range, Heart Health, and Results
The omega-3 index test measures how much EPA and DHA, the two main marine omega-3 fatty acids, are built into your red blood cell...
Oxidized LDL (OxLDL) Test: High OxLDL, Normal Range, Artery Inflammation, and Cardiovascular Risk
Oxidized LDL, often written as OxLDL or ox-LDL, is LDL cholesterol that has been chemically changed by oxidative stress. This change makes LDL more...
Plant Sterol Blood Test: Sitosterol, Campesterol, Cholesterol Absorption, and Results
A plant sterol blood test measures sterols that come mostly from plant foods, especially sitosterol and campesterol. In routine lipid care, these markers can...
Remnant Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Interpreting Residual Heart Risk
Remnant cholesterol and triglycerides help explain why some people still have cardiovascular risk even when LDL cholesterol looks acceptable. Triglycerides show how much fat...