Get tested with Superpower

If you’ve been postponing blood testing for years or feel frustrated by doctor appointments and limited lab panels, you are not alone. Standard healthcare is often reactive, focusing on testing only after symptoms appear or leaving patients in the dark.

Superpower flips that approach. We give you full insight into your body with over 100 biomarkers, personalized action plans, long-term tracking, and answers to your questions, so you can stay ahead of any health issues.

With physician-reviewed results, CLIA-certified labs, and the option for at-home blood draws, Superpower is designed for people who want clarity, convenience, and real accountability - all in one place.

Key benefits of VLDL Size testing

• Reveals how large your VLDL particles are, signaling metabolic and cardiovascular risk.
• Spots insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome before glucose levels rise significantly.
• Flags atherogenic dyslipidemia patterns that standard cholesterol panels may miss entirely.
• Guides personalized diet and medication choices to lower heart disease risk effectively.
• Tracks how lifestyle changes or treatments shift your lipid particle profile.
• Clarifies why triglycerides are elevated and what that means for inflammation.
• Best interpreted with apoB, LDL particle number, and triglyceride levels together.

What is VLDL Size?

VLDL size measures the average diameter of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles circulating in your blood. VLDL particles are made by your liver to transport triglycerides - stored fat - from the liver to tissues throughout your body that need energy or fat storage.

Not all VLDL particles are created equal

The size of these particles matters because it reflects how much triglyceride cargo each one carries. Larger VLDL particles are packed with more triglycerides, while smaller ones carry less. This size variation tells a story about your liver's fat metabolism and how efficiently your body is handling dietary and stored fats.

A window into metabolic traffic patterns

VLDL size serves as a marker of metabolic health and lipid processing. When your liver produces predominantly large VLDL particles, it often signals an overload of triglycerides being shipped out into circulation. The size pattern can shift based on diet, insulin sensitivity, and overall metabolic balance, making it a useful snapshot of how your body manages fat transport.

Why is VLDL Size important?

VLDL size reveals how efficiently your liver packages and exports fat into circulation. Larger VLDL particles carry more triglyceride and tend to reflect normal or improved metabolic clearance, while smaller, denser VLDL particles signal sluggish fat processing and heightened cardiovascular risk. This biomarker connects liver metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and arterial health into a single window.

Bigger particles, smoother traffic

When VLDL particles are larger, your body is typically handling dietary fat and glucose well. Insulin sensitivity remains intact, and the liver isn't overloaded. This pattern is generally favorable and less atherogenic.

Small and dense means metabolic strain

Smaller VLDL size emerges when insulin resistance, excess abdominal fat, or high refined carbohydrate intake overwhelm the liver's lipid assembly line. These dense particles linger longer in the bloodstream, undergo oxidation more readily, and penetrate arterial walls with ease. Over time, this accelerates plaque formation and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. Women with polycystic ovary syndrome and men with metabolic syndrome often show this shift.

A upstream signal for long-term risk

VLDL size acts as an early metabolic sentinel, often shifting before LDL cholesterol or glucose rise noticeably. It integrates signals from diet, hormones, and organ function. Tracking it alongside triglycerides, HDL, and insulin offers a clearer picture of cardiovascular and metabolic trajectory than cholesterol alone.

What do my VLDL Size results mean?

Low VLDL size values

Low values usually reflect smaller, denser VLDL particles that carry less triglyceride per particle. This pattern often accompanies insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or high carbohydrate intake relative to fat oxidation capacity. Smaller VLDL particles are more readily converted into small dense LDL, which is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. This shift in particle size typically signals altered hepatic lipid packaging and impaired triglyceride clearance from the bloodstream.

Optimal VLDL size values

Being in range suggests efficient hepatic triglyceride assembly and export, with VLDL particles carrying an appropriate lipid load. Larger VLDL particles are generally considered more metabolically favorable when triglyceride levels are well controlled. Optimal values reflect balanced energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity, supporting normal lipid trafficking between the liver and peripheral tissues.

High VLDL size values

High values usually reflect larger VLDL particles that carry more triglyceride per particle. While this can occur with very high triglyceride production, excessively large VLDL may indicate impaired lipolysis or delayed particle remodeling. In some contexts, larger VLDL is preferable to small dense particles, but marked elevation alongside high triglycerides suggests hepatic overproduction or reduced clearance capacity.

Notes on VLDL size interpretation

VLDL size is strongly influenced by dietary fat and carbohydrate intake, insulin sensitivity, and genetic factors affecting lipid metabolism. Measurement methods vary across laboratories, and results should be interpreted alongside total triglycerides, particle number, and other lipid subfractions for complete metabolic assessment.