Episode 23: The Cholesterol Tests You've Never Had - ApoB, Lp(a), New Meds, and Statin Myths

Welcome back everyone to episode 23, where we will be discussing cholesterol guidelines that have changed this year in 2026.

And I will also be discussing apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein A.

Say that 10 times fast.

So many of you probably have gone to your doctor, maybe your primary care physician, and gotten your annual blood work.

So usually this will include a lipid panel.

So lipid panels have cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides.

The LDL historically has been called the lousy cholesterol.

And HDL, the higher the number, usually the better for that one specific marker.

And then triglycerides, of course, has its own slew of downstream effects.

So if you have high triglycerides, it puts you at a higher risk of pancreatitis.

So of course, we want our LDL number to be as low as possible.

It is true that a high LDL level does put you at a higher risk of a heart attack or a stroke later on in life.

And it's definitely important a number that we take a really close look at.

And previously we were looking at something called ASCVD risk score, and we would use this score and calculate it.

And based on your numbers, if needed, we would start you on a medication called a statin, which is a cholesterol lowering medication.

But now there are new markers that we're looking at, specifically lipoprotein A and apolipoprotein B.

And so these two markers were basically started in the 2026 cholesterol guidelines.

And I just want to touch upon them and kind of explain the importance of these specific markers.