pete_nash said:ApoB is the more informative number and it is cheap.
Agreed, and hsCRP is worth reading alongside them. The inflammatory-marker fall is often the most striking change on a panel and it is consistent with the cardiovascular outcome data.
HPLC_Greg said:One addition: if the lab changes analytical platform between your draws, the comparison breaks and nobody tells you.
Thank you for spelling out the reasoning rather than just the conclusion.
pete_nash said:ApoB is the more informative number and it is cheap.
Careful with treating an unchanged LDL-C as a failure. If ApoB and triglycerides both fell, the particle picture improved regardless of what the calculated LDL says.
I would rather be corrected than agreed with, if it comes to it.
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Shop Reference StandardsMASHdoc_SA said:I got a full panel before starting and a repeat at three months, and the second one is more useful than the first purely because I now have something…
PSA: get baseline labs BEFORE starting baseline bloodwork therapy. You need a "before" picture to measure progress. My recommended pre-treatment panel:
- CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
- Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
- hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
- Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
- CBC with differential
- Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
- DEXA scan or body composition
Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.