Atherotech, Inc. has announced the addition of apolipoprotein A (apoAI) to its VAP Cholesterol Test. The VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Test is the only single cholesterol test that routinely reports apoAI, apoB, and the apoB/apoAI ratio. With the addition of this new marker, the VAP Test now reports apoAI and the apoB/apoAI ratio, increasing its clinical utility in the assessment of risk for heart disease, diabetes and other cardiovascular diseases. The new, clinically validated heart disease risk marker is included with the VAP Cholesterol Test at no added cost. "The new ratio gives physicians and their patients a single, easy-to-understand number that shows the balance between good and bad cholesterol particles and helps determine whether a person's 'high HDL' is really protective," said Atherotech Chief Medical Officer James Ehrlich, M.D. "Numerous large, prospective studies, including INTERHEART and the AMORIS trials, have clearly shown that the apoB/apoAI ratio is superior to all other cardiovascular disease risk marker ratios." ApoAI is the main protein component of protective HDL cholesterol while apolipoprotein BI00 (apoB) particles are the main component of atherogenic (bad) LDL cholesterol. In general, the lower the apoB/apoAI value, the lower your risk for heart disease. A ratio of 1 to 2 is considered low risk, while a ratio approaching 1 to 1 would be considered high risk, and anything over that - where the small LDL particles would dominate - would be very high risk.