Cholesterol Lipoprotein a – Do you know your levels?

Published August 25, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

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 maybe VLDL Cholesterol)

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)

The function of Lipoprotein a.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
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