So, you think you’re getting pretty smart. You know that there are a couple of very important fats in the body, triglycerides and cholesterol. And you know that the cholesterol is made up of “good” (high density lipoprotein, or HDL) cholesterol and “bad” (low density lipoprotein, or LDL) cholesterol. You want more of the former and less of the latter. You know that these good and bad species of cholesterol are carried around the body along with particular types of proteins in particles known as “lipoproteins”. You know that statin drugs can dramatically lower your LDL and lower your risk of coronary artery disease.
Do you have a family history of heart disease, diabetes or blood pressure? Are you taking the CORRECT Treatment to lower your cholesterol?
The VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Test is one of the most accurate and comprehensive cholesterol tests available today. It reports 18 separate components of blood cholesterol compared to just four in a standard test.
This comprehensive test can identify more lipid abnormalities (which is the #1 risk factor of heart disease) than the standard test and is the only cholesterol test to identify markers for Metabolic Syndrome, a precursor for diabetes.
Your risk of heart disease and diabetes can be reduced with the right preventative treatments and the VAP Test provides a large amount of information for your doctor to give an accurate diagnosis.
Take control of your heart health!
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The VAP Test is a more accurate directly measured cholesterol test
As opposed to estimated LDL cholesterol test typical in a standard cholesterol test, a 30-year old technology.
Gives you and your doctor more information on the treatment and management of cardiovascular conditions
Provides direct measurements of LDL, HDL and all relevant subclasses, and includes non-HDL, a highly accurate determination of ApoB, and emerging risk factors such as Lp(a), remnants and small dense LDL – not detected with routine cholesterol tests.
Determines which cholesterol pattern you are (large and buoyant or small and dense). You dont want to have small and dense cholesterol because its easier to penetrate the arterial wall, thereby increasing your risk for a cardiovascular event!
Your results* typically given within 48 hours come in a colorful, easy-to-read sheet that you can take to your doctor for proper treatment.
LDL Electrophoresis
This is an example an LDL gel electrophoresis. The particles are measured. The peak size of the particles is 261.5 Angstroms. This is an “Intermediate” pattern, or Pattern I.
So what difference does all of this make?
It’s only important if you can do something about it . . . and you can. What’s really important about this is the fact that not all lipid disorders are helped optimally with the same agents. It seems that everyone with any disorder of cholesterol is on one of the “statin” drugs these days. Although statin drugs do lower LDL, they lower all of the different sized LDL particles at the same time. They do little compared with other agents to raise the good HDL cholesterol. There are a large number of people who may respond best to niacin or fibric acid medications rather than the currently more popular statins. Combinations of these agents may be best for many.
It is interesting and important to note that people with Pattern B do less well if untreated. But these same Pattern B people have several advantages too:
- They respond better to diet therapy.
- They respond best to the less expensive niacin and fibric acid medications.
- When treated successfully, they tend to improve better than Pattern A patients.
Sophisticated studies of lipoprotein particle size can also help make the decision whether medications are necessary at all in borderline cases.
Finally, these studies may help pinpoint abnormalities you may have inherited from your parents or grandparents, abnormalities that don’t show up with “regular” cholesterol tests.
Studies using highly sophisticated studies such as “Gradient Gel Electrophoresis” can characterize the size of LDL and HDL. These studies are available from the Berkeley HeartLab (www.berkeleyheartlab.com), which makes an active effort to recruit physicians to use their services.
Do you know if you have more of the most dangerous type of LDL particle? This type is called small dense LDL, and it is the type more likely to infiltrate your arteries leading to dangerous plaque. Has your doctor ever told you if you have the most protective type of HDL or the least protective type of HDL? Do you know your Lp(a) number? You should as it potentially is 10 times more plaque-promoting. What about your IDL levels, or your apoB100 number which has been shown to be a powerful predictor of heart disease? If you cant answer any of these questions, you are not taking advantage of the best cutting-edge cholesterol testing that is now available.
Nowadays most everyone knows their LDL cholesterol number, but few people know that the LDL cholesterol number is actually made up of 3 different components. The routine test your doctor administers is not accurate enough to measure the 3 different components separately. It just lumps those 3 components together and calls them all LDL cholesterol.
The 3 components that can be measured are your real LDL-C, IDL, and Lp(a). Real LDL cholesterol is a direct measurement of your LDL cholesterol levels. Most people are surprised to learn the level on most blood work is actually a calculated LDL cholesterol level. IDL is a measure of your intermediate density lipoprotein cholesterol; it is typically a strongly inherited risk factor for heart disease and is often elevated in patients with a family history of diabetes. Lp(a) looks very similar to LDL and that is why it gets lumped in with LDL on a routine cholesterol test. However, the important point here is that Lp(a) does not respond to traditional LDL cholesterol-lowering drugs. This means that some people get tricked by standard cholesterol testing. Their LDL cholesterol number may be high, but in reality it is not their real LDL cholesterol that is high. It is their Lp(a) that is high. Often these people find themselves on LDL medications but their LDL is not really improving that much.
HDL cholesterol is what everyone knows as the good cholesterol. But what most people dont realize is that there are actually two main types of HDL: subtype HDL-2, which is the more protective, versus subtype HDL-3, which is the least protective. You want to have more of the most protective HDL-2.
Then there is total apolipoprotein B100. This number is significant because there is evidence that your apoB100 level is a better indicator of heart disease risk than total cholesterol or LDL. Apolipoprotein B100 helps form, carry and deliver bad cholesterol particles to cells. Simply, it is a way to count the number of LDL particles. This is because there is one, and only one, apoB100 on each LDL particle. The more particles you have, the greater danger of heart disease. Most people dont realize the LDL number on a routine blood test is not really a count of your LDL particles. It is rather a calculation of the total cholesterol contained in the LDL. Different people can have the same amount of cholesterol in their LDLs, but some people will have that amount in a few big LDLs while others will h ave that same amount in many smaller LDLs. Those with a greater number of smaller LDLs are more at risk.
By providing all of this detailed information, the VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) test takes cholesterol testing to the next level. The VAP Test was named one of Ten Ways to Live Longer by Forbes.com, and it was selected as one of Five Tests Worth Paying for by The Wall Street Journal.