What is Apolipoprotein B?
What is a normal ApoB level?
An ApoB below 90 mg/dL is desirable in Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ adult result categories. Your lab may use different cutoffs.
| ApoB (mg/dL) | Adult result category |
|---|---|
| Below 90 | Desirable |
| 90–99 | Above desirable |
| 100–119 | Borderline high |
| 120–139 | High |
| 140 or higher | Very high |
A lab category helps interpret a result. A treatment goal is the level you and your clinician aim for based on your risk of heart attack or stroke.
What are the 2026 ACC/AHA ApoB targets?
The 2026 ACC/AHA dyslipidemia guidelines include ApoB goals below 90, 70, or 55 mg/dL. Selected examples:
| Clinical situation | ApoB goal |
|---|---|
| Diabetes without additional cardiovascular risk factors or diabetes-specific risk modifiers | Below 90 mg/dL |
| Diabetes with additional risk factors, or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease that isn’t very high risk | Below 70 mg/dL |
| Established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at very high risk | Below 55 mg/dL |
Your clinician chooses a goal using your history, other lipid results, and treatment. An ApoB of 85 mg/dL can be desirable on a lab report yet above your treatment goal of 70 mg/dL.
What does high ApoB mean?
High ApoB suggests more particles that can form plaque in your arteries. It doesn’t by itself diagnose a blockage. Contributors include inherited lipid disorders, insulin resistance, diet, and hypothyroidism. Review your result alongside LDL, triglycerides, blood pressure, and medical history to decide whether nutrition changes or medication would help.
What is a normal ApoB by age?
In NHANES 2015–2016, the median ApoB was about 76 mg/dL for adults aged 18–29 and 88 mg/dL for adults aged 70 and older. These population percentiles show what’s common, not what your treatment goal should be.
Median and 10th–90th percentiles by age and sex. Source: NHANES 2015–2016, weighted estimates.
ApoB vs LDL cholesterol: why measure both?
LDL cholesterol measures the cholesterol carried by LDL particles. ApoB measures a protein on LDL and other plaque-forming particles, making it an indicator of their number. Two people can have similar LDL cholesterol but different ApoB results.
Our analysis of 1,710 Empirical patients used ApoB ≥100 mg/dL and LDL <130 mg/dL to identify elevated ApoB despite lower LDL. Those cutoffs explain the finding above; they aren’t personal treatment goals or an estimate of how many people will have a heart attack.
For the research, see ApoB vs LDL cholesterol. Testing Lp(a) can also identify inherited risk that a standard lipid panel doesn’t measure.
Do you need to fast for an ApoB test?
ApoB itself doesn’t require fasting. Other tests in a panel may require it. Follow the instructions for your complete order; Empirical’s comprehensive panel calls for an 8–12-hour fast.
How long do ApoB results take?
Results generally take a few days, depending on the lab and other tests ordered. Labcorp lists 1–2 days after the sample reaches its lab for standalone ApoB. Your ordering provider can confirm your turnaround time.
How often should you retest ApoB?
When ApoB is guiding treatment, your clinician can recheck it with your follow-up lipid panel. The 2026 guidelines recommend lipid panels 4–12 weeks after starting or changing lipid-lowering therapy, then every 6–12 months. Whether to include ApoB each time depends on whether it will change your care.
ApoB results and history in Empirical, using example data.
How can you lower ApoB?
Nutrition changes and medication can lower ApoB. Start with less saturated fat and more soluble fiber. Your clinician may recommend a statin or additional medication depending on your starting level and goal. Our guides cover how to lower ApoB and ApoB-lowering medications.
