Cholesterol levels are important for your heart disease risk.
Everyone knows LDL is the “bad” cholesterol. But turns out there are other measurable cholesterol and inflammatory markers which may be more predictive of your heart disease risk: C reactive protein, Apoprotein B, and Lipoprotein A. Today we will focus on Lipoprotein A.
What is Lipoprotein A? Elevated Lp(a) levels are a cardiovascular disease risk factor
Lipoprotein (a) is a cholesterol carrying particle found in your blood. It is similar to LDL. It has two main proteins- ApoB and ApoA. It is the ApoA that makes the Lipoprotein A “stickier,” which leads to inflammation, blood clots, and plaque build up more than LDL alone.
For those of you with no attention span, Lipoprotein A is inherited, ie genetic. It is highly associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart irregularities, heart valve disease, and poor lower body circulation. It is clearly linked to inflammation. One researcher stated, “It’s more heritable than hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.” Who has higher genetic risk? African, Chinese, Southeast Asian, and European descent. It also can be seen to be higher in postmenopausal women.
This makes Lipoprotein A frustrating. Our Bay Area patients generally live very healthy active lifestyles and eat well. Lp(a) puts you at risk despite that healthy diet and hiking in the Palo Alto hills.
It is not changeable by changes in diet and lifestyle. There is no current medication for it. There is a medication in development to help, but currently there is no way to treat an elevated level. See blogs on LipoA. PCSK9 inhibitors have been shown to lower Lp(a) levels by about 20-30%. Apheresis, blood filtering which removes excess cholesterol Lp(a) and LDL from the body may be an option for super high risk people. Other studies are being done.
What is a good level of Lipoprotein A?
There is a blood test for the biomarker Lp(a). About 20-30% of people worldwide have elevated levels. Who should test? If you have a family of early heart disease, familial hypercholesterolemia, or prior cardiovascular events like stroke, claudication, heart disease. If you have high cholesterol and have not responded to statins, the reason may be you have Lipoprotein A. As Lp(a) is genetic, you only need to do a one time screening.
- NORMAL: <30 mg/dL
- BORDERLINE/MODERATE ELEVATION: 31-50 mg/dL
- HIGH: >50 mg/dL
How can Biohackr Health help with cholesterol?
We focus a lot on heart health, as heart disease is the number one killer for men and women both. There are many factors which contribute, from blood sugar, hormones, weight, to cholesterol. Having a healthy Bay Area lifestyle does not protect you from elevated Lipoprotein A.
- TEST. Do our comprehensive cholesterol panel. heart health testing
- OTHER HEART CONTRIBUTORS: Blood sugar, hormone levels, VO2 max, creatine, muscle mass.
- GLPs and weight loss. If overweight or have elevated blood sugar, GLPs are useful. See our page on medical weight loss and read the blogs on GLP benefits.
- EBO2. We offer blood filtration. This is not a proven medical treatment for elevated Lipoprotein A, but if you have resistant levels, it is an option you could try. EBO2 information
Medical References
NIH Lipoprotein (a): What to know about elevated levels
American College of Cardiology, Lipoprotein A, an independent risk factor for CV disease, 2025
CDC information on Lipoprotein A