Do you know your Lp(a)?

Lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) is getting increasing attention in big name podcasts, books, universities, the media, government agencies, nonprofits and doctor’s offices. I recently chatted with a general practitioner and a seasoned cardiologist to better understand what it means. 

Lp(a) is a relatively more recently studied indicator of cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and strokes. Compared to more commonly known measures of risk like cholesterol, fewer people know their Lp(a). This is largely because there’s no agreed upon/approved way to treat it if it’s high. It’s generally accepted to be genetic and not influenced by medication or behavior change. But many medical professionals are starting to look at it in their patients to see a bigger picture/aggregate of risk factors. So while there may not currently be a known treatment to lower Lp(a) if elevated, it can alert you to increased risk and inspire you to measure/address other risk factors that can be treated (like statins for high LDL, getting a Coronary Calcium Score and looking at your exercise and diet habits). 

This article from the Yale School of Medicine and this web site from the American Heart Association give helpful high level information on Lp(a). And if you want to truly geek out for an hour with Peter Attia about it he goes DEEP in this podcast (note: this is HIGHLY technical and likely more targeted toward doctors and experts--but still some good nuggets). 

Full disclosure, I’m not a doctor or a medical professional. I am also not a fearmonger. So this post doesn’t equate to a recommendation that you do anything other than perhaps talk to your healthcare provider to determine if you should be tracking your Lp(a) based on your personal situation like family risk, other lab measures and lifestyle.  

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