Home › Biomarkers › Apolipoprotein B
Apolipoprotein B, apoB for short, is a protein on the particles that can carry cholesterol into the walls of your blood vessels. A high value can point to a large number of these particles in your blood.[1]
On this page you can read what apolipoprotein B is, what the guidelines say about a value that is too low or too high, what affects your value and which values are best to look at alongside it.
Also known as: apoB, apo B. At the lab: APOB.
ApoB is a protein found on several kinds of particles in your blood: VLDL, LDL, chylomicrons and lipoprotein(a). Each of these particles contains one molecule of apoB.[1]
The amount of cholesterol in each particle varies. That is why apoB mainly tells you about the number of particles, not about how much cholesterol they carry between them.[1]
Cholesterol can only enter the blood vessel wall inside apoB particles. How much cholesterol stays there depends on how many particles get stuck in the wall. How many particles enter the wall depends mainly on how many there are in your blood.[1]
Smaller particles with little cholesterol get stuck in the wall more easily. Larger particles, on the other hand, bring more cholesterol with them. On balance, according to the authors, almost all apoB particles contribute equally to fatty build-up in the blood vessel wall.[1]
According to the review, apoB brings together, strengthens and simplifies what the standard lipid values tell you about the risk that comes with these particles.[1]
Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with, uses a reference value of 0.46 to 1.42 g/l for apolipoprotein B. The lab calls a value between those limits normal.[2]
| Value | What it can mean | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|
| 0.46 to 1.42 g/l[2] | The lab calls this normal | Results from Labplusarts |
Reference value from Labplusarts, the lab BioProfile works with. The sources do not give their own cut-off points per group.[2]
A high apoB can point to a large number of particles in your blood that can carry cholesterol into the blood vessel wall. According to the review by Sniderman and colleagues, it is mainly that number that decides how many particles enter the wall.[1]
BioProfile is working on its own zones for each value, from risk to optimal. A doctor reviews those zones before they appear in your result.
Because every VLDL, LDL and lipoprotein(a) particle and every chylomicron carries one molecule of apoB, your value rises and falls with the total number of these particles.[1]
The amount of cholesterol in each particle varies. A particle full of cholesterol and a particle with little cholesterol each count as one molecule of apoB. That is why apoB can give a different picture from your cholesterol values.[1]
Apolipoprotein B is included in BioProfile 121 and 150.[3]
The BioProfile editorial team wrote this page on 10 October 2026 from the sources below, which we read on 10 October 2026. Every number on this page appears in one of those sources, with that source's number next to it. An expert has yet to check this page; after that check, the expert's name and the date of the check will appear at the top. This page offers explanation, not a diagnosis. Discuss a value outside the range with your GP.
