Taking the question as asked, rather than the general version of it. ApoB is the more informative number and it is cheap. LDL-C estimates cholesterol mass in atherogenic particles; ApoB counts the particles, and it is particle count that tracks risk — which is why the two can disagree and why the disagreement is the clinically interesting case. Triglycerides fall substantially with weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity, HDL moves modestly, and LDL-C often barely moves at all, which surprises people who expected everything to improve together.

BethLabQueen said:

ApoB is the more informative number and it is cheap.

Agreed, and hsCRP is worth reading alongside them. The inflammatory-marker fall is often the most striking change on a panel and it is consistent with the cardiovascular outcome data.

SurmountFan_IN said:

Living somewhere the domestic route does not exist, which makes most of the advice on this board inapplicable to me.

This is my experience too, for whatever a second data point is worth.

Clinical perspective, offered as context rather than as advice.

International shipping tracking for cross-border ordering orders: my experience with customs in the US when ordering from overseas:

Required FDA import alert review, delayed 10 days.

Tips: always include a copy of your prescription, declare medication properly on customs forms, keep quantities reasonable (personal use = 3 month supply max), and use a vendor who has experience shipping to your country.