The Cholesterol Test You Should Be Getting

Many of us have been told by our doctors that we need to lower our cholesterol levels. But what does that mean, exactly? And do standard lipid profiles really tell us the full story about what is going on with our cholesterol?

In this minisode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the importance of cholesterol particle testing. They explore why other cholesterol tests are outdated and why information about particle size and particle number is the only way to know what’s really going on with your cholesterol.

Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices Functional Medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing, she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the Functional Medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.

[robertpulsin]

Try getting your doctor to do any of these tests. My doctor has almost thrown me out of the office for it.

[BigPictureYT]

An even better metaphor is boats and cargo. The cholesterol is the cargo. The boats are the particle size. You can have a few big boats or many small boats. The small boats can get into places, like the arteries, that big boats cannot enter.

[kristineb]

Thank you…this is very encouraging. I left my dr’s office yesterday with prescriptions for blood pressure and cholesterol. At 70, i have never had the need for these before. My dr kept stressing “genetics, genetics, genetics”. HDL 62, LDL 136, Triglycerides 98, BPressure 135/80…I am going to put these meds aside, eat better, lose some weight and move more…AND request the Cardio ID…I am overwhelmingly grateful Dr Hyman…I started your Gut Health about 2 weeks ago. 😊

[lawrenceforsley]

Conventional medicine is very frustrating in this country. At the age of 60 I have optimal triglycerides (43) and HDL (69) but slightly elevated LDL (110). I am an extremely active CF athlete with an above average resting heart rate and very low body fat % and eat a very healthy diet yet my PA is recommending that I change my diet solely because of the elevated LDL. There was no discussion about my Triglyceride-HDL ratios which are .6 or about the possibility that the LDL level might not be a bad thing given my other results and lifestyle. I have “suggested” that she refer me for particle testing after watching this video. But I suspect the medical advice will not change. Thank you for this video. Well done. 👍

[melaniegreene]

I am so excited about this newer information on cholesterol. At 70, I have been down a painful and complicated path with statins. Most recently Repatha. Two months ago, once off of Repatha, I got mad and took back my life. In two months, with food choice changes, exercise and supplements, my health is turning around. Labs done on 5/27/2022 versus this week on 8/1/2022 indicates a real health turn, along with just how great I feel. HDL has gone from 60 to 64, triglycerides went from 233 to 114 and now with my first NMR, my IR results show a level of 40. Although, I am not there yet, I am so grateful for this test and the impact in two months of lifestyle changes. I am also extremely grateful for all your YouTube videos and books, which have allowed me to understand my true risk factors. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!❤️❤️

[schaef]

Sometimes it’s hard to get your doctor to do these comprehensive blood tests but they’re worth getting them done yourself if you have to

[susancorso]

I am running to my doctor and asking for the particle test along with my regular cholesterol levels! Great information

[Ingridvieira]

I think the other bit of information that people need to understand and rarely gets discussed is .. why is cholesterol important and why is cholesterol going to the arteries in the first place? The small dense LDL cholesterol are there to try and fix/patch up lesions in our arteries .. well what’s causing these lesions ? THAT’s the KEY !! Once people understand what the “root causes” are .. then it all makes more sense. It’s going to take time for this “Paradigm shift” to happen when it comes to understanding Cholesterol .. but eventually the facts/results will speak for themselves !! Dr. Nadir Ali (Cardiologist), Dr. Annette Bosworth, MD (Dr. Boz) are amazing sources of information and I would highly recommend their videos (not only on this topic but so many others). ✨

[cooperstravels]

Just did my annual physical and blood work. Cholesterol 235, Triglycerides 73, HDL 57, LDL 163. The good news is versus last year my Triglycerides went down over 10pts, my HDL went up over 10pts, but my LDL went up 30pts. My Blood Pressure is 104/70 which is the best it's been in quite a while. My doc gave me a call and said I should go on a low fat diet, take a statin, and I should exercise more. I am currently doing a keto plan which typically raises the LDL for some reason. Seems like 1) I should exercise more, 2) take a detailed LDL test to see if the higher LDL is actually a problem or not.

[lynnetrue]

In 2021 as a woman at 65 years old my total cholesterol was 228 and LDL was 150. All other cholesterol numbers were good. I started a heart healthy diet and started walking around my house to lower my Cholesterol #s because I didn't want to start statins. I did not need to lose weight but over the next 5 months I lost 10 pounds and weighed 120 pounds so I had my lipid panel done and wonderfully my total was down to 204 and LDL was 150. So I added low fat dairy and some cheese and cut down on walking, gained a few pounds over a year but kept the rest of the diet the same and one year later total cholesterol is down to 174 and LDL is 104! I asked my doctor for a cardiac calcium CT and have a score of 0! Also my Apolipoprotein B is 74mg/dL and Apolipoprotein A1 is 161 mg/dL both in standard range. The CT cost $100 and the blood tests were covered under my Medicare advantage plan. Do I need to ask for the particle tests or are the Apolipoprotein tests the same as the particle tests? Thank you

[MuhammadTariq-begq]

It’s news to me. I never heard of this test before. Thank you Dr Hyman for this podcast.

[CS-pdrz]

Cholesterol is not dirt, its essential for a healthy life.
LDL is not the bad guy, Its essential too.

[cmauro]

Our health care system refuses to use the tests that determine what type of LDL you have. This ensures a few extra statin sales. 😂

[Discuholic]

i am so glad to learn this I was in lipitor for a few years 2010- 13 funny thing was those years I was super active swimming, running and hiking, a few years later another Dr told me to get out of cause I didn't need it he was looking the ratios, nothing about particle size though. Today I am retired and older and not as active, but I do control my diet, sugar intake, low carbs, and walk stay active as much as I can.

[bernicemoore]

Thanks so much for this information. I’m scheduled for a visit with my primary care provider in 2 weeks. I trust that she will gladly order the partial size cholesterol test!

[brucefranken]

Recent studies show that the level of Apo-B is the major risk factor in cardiovascular disease. Also no need to concern ourselves with ratios.

[michellelockert]

So fascinating and grateful for this information. Just saw my heart doc and sometimes I wonder if some of these doctors really went to school.

[carrieg]

My naturopath has been doing these tests for years. I guess that’s why I go to a naturopath and whoby training are functional medicine doctors.

[Mark-fctu]

It's a very important topic that matters to me, thank you for the video.

My doctor has informed me that my cholesterol and LDL are high, but I've learned that the test result for LDL is actually calculated based on total cholesterol minus HDL, not measured.

He is quite insistent on me lowering my cholesterol (cutting out red meat from meals and fewer carbs, plus eating vegetables, arugula, avocadoes, chicken, fish and seafood), but it's odd that he would talk about medication for lowering LDL without arranging for a more accurate LDL test first...

It's a very dubious guideline for medical professionals to follow...

[PhilipRaines]

I do an advanced lipid panel at least every other year. My docs still think good fats are bad, lol. I eat keto friendly and intermittent fast with one meal a day. There are very few people that i would trade blood