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.

MASHdoc_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:

1. CMP + A1C + fasting insulin
2. Complete lipid panel with particle count if possible
3. hsCRP, ferritin, B12, vitamin D
4. Thyroid panel (TSH + free T4)
5. CBC with differential
6. Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT)
7. DEXA scan or body composition

Total cost at Quest without insurance: ~$200. Worth every penny for the data.

Moderator note: good thread. Keeping it here rather than moving it, because the question is general enough to be useful. Carry on.