Before you assume that LDL isn’t a good biomarker, read the entire article. Specifically this section:
> Why? In some ways, cholesterol has become a victim of its own success. We now screen the whole population for high cholesterol, give statins to those with high LDL (or ApoB), and so then the majority of people who end up having heart attacks have lower cholesterol than they would naturally have
In other words, in the study population patients who would have had high LDL were likely to be on statins. The had a lower measured LDL value even though they might still be consuming a poor diet and living an unhealthy lifestyle, for example. Statins don't fix everything about poor diet and lifestyle, but they do help with cholesterol.
So don’t go throwing LDL out yet. It’s still the best measure we have, though you should obviously know that LDL measured while on statins is lower than it would be normally.
The headline, therefore, is somewhat clickbait from a company trying to sell these tests to you outside of your insurance. I recommend checking your insurance to see if the tests would be covered before you go the self-pay route.
Edit to add: If your doctor won't order hs-CRP for some reason, you can order it from sites like privatemdlabs.com for $50 (less if you take their 25% off coupon).
> Why? In some ways, cholesterol has become a victim of its own success. We now screen the whole population for high cholesterol, give statins to those with high LDL (or ApoB), and so then the majority of people who end up having heart attacks have lower cholesterol than they would naturally have
In other words, in the study population patients who would have had high LDL were likely to be on statins. The had a lower measured LDL value even though they might still be consuming a poor diet and living an unhealthy lifestyle, for example. Statins don't fix everything about poor diet and lifestyle, but they do help with cholesterol.
So don’t go throwing LDL out yet. It’s still the best measure we have, though you should obviously know that LDL measured while on statins is lower than it would be normally.
The headline, therefore, is somewhat clickbait from a company trying to sell these tests to you outside of your insurance. I recommend checking your insurance to see if the tests would be covered before you go the self-pay route.
Edit to add: If your doctor won't order hs-CRP for some reason, you can order it from sites like privatemdlabs.com for $50 (less if you take their 25% off coupon).