“Bad,” or LDL, cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease. There’s another marker in the blood that may be a better predictor of heart disease risk, a recent large review suggests. But it’s not part of routine blood testing.and most people are screened for it as part of their yearly physicals.
Apolipoprotein B (apoB) is a protein that attaches to harmful fat particles in the blood. The apoB protein is found on the surface of harmful lipoproteins like low density lipoprotein, or LDL, that contribute to heart disease. Since each one of the harmful particles contains one apoB molecule, testing for it essentially captures the overall number of harmful plaque-producing compounds.
