lipid weirdness

I got a lipid panel and everything was in range. Triglycerides was 50 (total cholesterol 149 , hdl chol 51 , trigs 50 , ldl 86, chol/hdlc 2.9 , Non hdl 98). I also had particle number and size done on the same draw. All of those numbers were out of range with ldl-p at 1425 nmol/L . A few weeks later I had an apolipoprotein B test done and it came back 74 mg/dL.

Are there circumstances where a person can have such numbers of trigs and apob and still have high ldl-p? I’ve seen a bit about discordance with ldl-p and ldl-c but nothing with triglycerides. Thanks!

I’m not sure what to make of this information in isolation. But based on your overall lipid panel and ApoB measurement I’d feel relatively reassured here. I don’t have a great explanation for that LDL-P measurement; it can be discordant in situations of insulin resistance, but the rest of your panel doesn’t appear suggestive of IR (although I don’t know your history re: diabetes, etc.).

Thanks for your response. I have no diabetes and am 5’8" 175lb with a 35" waist. I don’t drink or smoke but vaporize whole herb cannabis .

The ldl-p was part of “CardioIQ” and the results were late . The lab was apparently way behind. I think the ldl-p and associated numbers are lab errors (and likely deliberate) . The only other thing I could think of would be cannabinoids showing as lipid particles. I also eat 6 oz of button mushrooms each day which may have about 4-5 mg lovastatin (I found this out AFTER I started eating them).

I’d like to ask the lab for my money back or at least a credit. I really believe they BS’d me just to catch up. I think most doctors would just shrug this off because they can’t be sure but this is really got me PO’d.

In addition to the medical history, I think we would both wonder what the panel contains, why it was recommended, and who interpreted it, which subsequently led you here. There’s only so much we can do via a forum, you know?

In any case, I would like to clarify that the Agaricus bisporus has ~1.3 mg lovastatin per kilogram (dry weight). I suspect you’re getting a bit less than 4-5mg/d in the amount of mushrooms you eat daily.

The lipoprotein fractonation test includes LDL-P(1425), LDL Small (304), LDL Medium (329) , HDL Large (5501) , LDL Pattern (B A) , LDL Peak Size 216.2 . The report includes reference ranges for interpretation .

The LDL Pattern field was odd in that it said both patterns. My Hba1c is 5.3 and I am 52.

I purchased the test online with the purpose of evaluating my diet . I’m not following any book or podcast or anything just eating mediterranean.

I’m not sure where I came up with those lovastatin numbers . It looks like I missed a decimal place or two. I looked and saw no dose response at even 5 mg so I kept eating them. Thanks for the correction.

I’d like to know how much I can trust labs. I’m not sure how much scrutiny of lab accuracy any of us can ask from our personal physicians but I figured since you guys deal with these topics at a meta level it might be cool to post about this.

Yea, I don’t think most people will be able to interpret their own lipid panel. I don’t think particular lipid test is one I would recommend for evaluating a diet or for routine monitoring, as there are a number of values here that don’t really mean anything.

In any case, I think that it’s difficult to evaluate your diet with respect to lipoprotein levels via this forum and, as Dr. Baraki mentioned, how to apply that to you the individual. I think Dr. Baraki gave some good feedback above, though further evaluation should be done by your physician.

Do you think the ldl-p is an error ?

I don’t know. You could repeat the test, or alternatively stick with the combination of a standard lipid panel plus apoB measurement.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll stick with the standard panel and apoB . I’ll also look for something that describes inconsistency between apob , triglycerides and ldl-p. Although, I think I’ve seen papers saying that these are generally consistent .