Apo B protein and carrier burden
Biomarker library
Heart Health
Apolipoprotein B
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB) is the protein frame of every particle that can clog arteries: LDL, VLDL and Lp(a). Each of these particles carries exactly one ApoB, so ApoB counts how many of them are in your blood.
Measured in your health assessment, with a doctor to explain your result. Book yours
Why it matters
Plaque is driven by the number of particles that enter the artery wall, not just the cholesterol they carry. That makes ApoB an even more precise guide to cardiovascular risk than LDL, especially with high triglycerides, diabetes or metabolic syndrome, where LDL can look deceptively normal.
What a result can mean
Lower than the range
A low ApoB means fewer particles that can enter artery walls, which is exactly what cholesterol-lowering treatment aims for.
Higher than the range
A high ApoB means a large number of artery-clogging particles, from genes, diet, excess weight, insulin resistance or an underactive thyroid. Even when LDL is normal, a high ApoB suggests many small particles.
What can help
The steps that lower LDL lower ApoB too: less saturated fat, more fibre, losing excess weight, regular activity and, where risk is high, cholesterol-lowering medicines.
Read it with
NoteGeneral educational illustration. Colours, sizes and movement are simplified. This is not a scan or a simulation of your body. General information, not personal medical advice: a doctor reads your own results with your history.
Know your Apolipoprotein B.
Measured in your health assessment and explained by the doctor who reviews your results.