Is it possible to get a test for apolipoprotein B on the NHS?

[cwm66]

I'm in my 5th week of attempting to follow a Nutritional Ketosis diet and have managed to drop about ½ a stone. My BMI is down to 24, so I'm happy about that. I'm 75 and had a heart attack 4½ years ago and had a stent fitted. I was 14½ stone then and now I'm nearly down to 11½ stone. I've started to (modestly) pump iron, to see if I can build up some muscle tissue, and I feel better than I've felt in years. However my total cholesterol is still up at 7.

I've had a facebook message from Peter Attia, one of the two gurus of NK, over in the USA and he recommends getting apoB tested as a better indicator of improvements in cholesterol and heart risk factors. Even if tests are not available on the NHS, is there a commercial test that can be purchased?

[sandybrown]

Hello,

THe bset place is to ask your local GP, there is a strong possibility that not many GPs may know about this testing and how to use the test results. Google can give perivate test details, the question is who do you go to with the test resuls and medication?

Have done well with your weight, have been stuck at a point in my weight for a while, difficulty in bringing it down. Cholesterol do go up with age,what about all the other cholesterol numbers, blood glucose and blood pressure? Good luck with yuor exercise.

Do you check yuor heart rate at the start of your exercise and at the ending of your exercise?

[Aliwally]

A lipid clinic will always do a test for apoB as part of a more specialised lipid profile, however you probably don't go to a lipid clinic, so that's not tremendously helpful !

There are a lot of sites on the internet that offer private blood testing but you would have to arrange for a health professional to take the sample and pay for it. As Bala says you need someone to interpret the result, although reference ranges are on the internet as well. I might be wrong, but I doubt whether your GP would send you for this test on the NHS.

[Tom1981]

Did you have any luck with this? I want to get one done myself as I have FH. GP doesn't want to refer to me to a lipid clinic so tempted to go private!

[sos007 Ambassador]

You can get a private ApoB test for £99.25 here:

privatebloodtests.co.uk/pri...

You don't need a doctor to interpret. Desirable levels are below 1.0 mmol/l, and optimal levels are below 0.81 mmol/l. If you have the resources, get an ApoA-1 test as well so you can determine your ApoB/ApoA-1 ratio which shows the balance between atherogenic and cardio-protective lipoproteins. The optimal ratio is <0.8.

[sandybrown in reply to sos007]

It is necessary for GP referral. NHS, GP, "Is the GP willing to offer a referral?"

[sos007 Ambassador in reply to sandybrown]

There's no reason for a doctor to withhold a referral if you are paying for the test yourself.