I exercise 5x/week; high fiber, low sugar diet; normal weight; low bp. i'm 40 and mostly healthy. but, my ldl-c is high (150-160 since 2012). the rest of my lipid panel looks fine. would statins make sense? or should i get my ldl-p checked first?

LDL-C is actually a calculated number, rather than a count, whereas LDL-P is an actual count of LDL particles. Increased risk is associated more with LDL-P, so that would be the number to know. Also helpful would be to know the ratio of the size of different particles, whether small or large. Small particles are associated with more risk for cardiovascular disease than large particles.

Agree with Dr. Liu. LDL is one of the risk factors. While a normal level is below 130, if you do not have any other risk factors, and your HDL is higher than 60, you may be okay.