ApoB
Apolipoprotein B (ApoB-100)
ApoB is a protein on particles that carry fats through your blood, including LDL. Measuring ApoB helps estimate how many of these particles are present. More particles can mean more opportunities for cholesterol to build up in artery walls.
See your ApoB in context.
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What does a high ApoB result mean?
A high result can indicate higher heart risk, even when LDL cholesterol does not look especially high. ApoB can add useful information when triglycerides are high or when someone has diabetes. It is not a test for an existing blockage.
How high is your ApoB?
- Very low — needs context
- Below 48 mg/dL (0.48 g/L)
- Desirable
- 48 to below 90 mg/dL (0.48–0.89 g/L)
- Above desirable
- 90–99 mg/dL (0.90–0.99 g/L)
- Borderline high
- 100–119 mg/dL (1.00–1.19 g/L)
- High
- 120–139 mg/dL (1.20–1.39 g/L)
- Very high
- 140 mg/dL or more (1.40 g/L or more)
These are Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ adult interpretive categories. Published cutoffs differ, so these are a guide to interpreting the result, not a universal treatment target. Check the units: 100 mg/dL equals 1.0 g/L.
Why your treatment goal may differ
Your clinician may choose a lower ApoB target based on your overall cardiovascular risk. Unexpectedly very low ApoB also needs context, including lipid-lowering treatment and other health conditions.
Sources: Mayo Clinic Laboratories
What can change this result?
What can raise it
- Inherited differences that leave more cholesterol-carrying particles in your blood.
- Insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, especially with high triglycerides.
- Eating patterns that raise LDL, including a lot of saturated fat.
What can help lower it
- Replacing some saturated fat and choosing more fiber-rich foods.
- Regular activity and addressing excess weight or high blood sugar, if relevant.
- Cholesterol-lowering medicines, including statins, when prescribed.
ApoB counts particles, while LDL cholesterol measures what they carry. The two results do not always change by the same amount.
What should I do next?
- Compare ApoB with LDL, non-HDL cholesterol and triglycerides from the same assessment.
- Ask why ApoB was measured and what target fits your medical history.
- Discuss food changes, activity and prescribed treatment as parts of the same plan.
How this test works
Each of the particles counted by this test carries an ApoB protein. LDL cholesterol measures the cholesterol cargo, while ApoB helps estimate particle number. The two measurements can disagree because particles carry different amounts of cholesterol.