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Marker · Ranges for learning, not a diagnosis

Lp(a)

Also called lipoprotein(a).

A particle like LDL with an extra protein attached, apo(a). Your genes set its level. Diet and most supplements barely move it.

Read this first

  • Coach, not doctor. Aaron Cuha is a coach, not a doctor. No medical credential is claimed for him, or for these pages. A number on a blood test is something to talk over with a doctor, not something to diagnose yourself with. Nothing here is a prescription, a plan to follow, or a reason to start or stop a medicine. Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use.
  • Knowledge stays free. Knowledge stays free. Every page, every guide and every tool is free to read and stays free. No partner paid for a place on these pages.
  • Three kinds of lab page, kept apart. /bloodwork is blood tests for people. /testing and /prices/labs are lab tests on peptide vials. /supplements/quality is what is in the bottle.

Why a longevity audience asks

It raises heart disease risk on its own, apart from other cholesterol numbers. Nordestgaard and colleagues said so again in 2010. You measure it once, or rarely, so the rest of your cholesterol plan is honest. It is not something a bottle can fix.

How a coach reads it

Labs use nmol/L or mg/dL, and the two do not convert cleanly. Doctors often treat a first high result as something that adds to your risk, not something you treat with bergamot. This page will not print a do-it-yourself cut-off. This is not a diagnosis.

Units on this page: nmol/L, mg/dL

When it is low

A low number is usually good news on this one. You do not need to retest often.

When it is high

A reason to take ApoB, blood pressure, smoking and the medicines your doctor already knows about more seriously. Not a reason to invent a stack.

Easy ways to misread it

  • mg/dL and nmol/L are not interchangeable.
  • Do not expect omega-3, bergamot, or psyllium to fix Lp(a).

What to ask your doctor

Ask for Lp(a) once if it has never been measured. Use the same unit on the report every time.

Related supplements

Related when-playbooks

Sources on this page