Lathosterol Test

Lathosterol is a molecule your body uses to make cholesterol. It’s one of the final steps in the Kandutsch-Russell pathway, which is one of the two main routes your body uses to produce cholesterol internally. This pathway is more active in adult tissues, especially in the liver, which plays a central role in regulating cholesterol levels in the body.

Measuring lathosterol in your blood helps us estimate how much cholesterol your body is making, separate from the cholesterol you get through your diet. It provides insight into whether your elevated cholesterol levels are due to internal overproduction or other factors like poor absorption or genetics.

• High lathosterol suggests your body is producing more cholesterol than it needs. This can contribute to elevated LDL and ApoB levels, which are linked to a higher risk of heart disease. People with high lathosterol levels often respond well to cholesterol-lowering medications like statins.
• Low lathosterol is commonly seen in people taking statins, since these drugs work by blocking cholesterol synthesis.
• Very low lathosterol in people not on statins may suggest an uncommon issue with cholesterol production. This could potentially affect hormone levels, cell membrane structure, and other cholesterol-dependent functions in the body.

In clinical practice, lathosterol is often measured alongside desmosterol to give a more complete picture of how your whole body is making cholesterol. Since different tissues use different pathways (Kandutsch-Russell vs Bloch), measuring both markers can help clinicians better understand which treatments may be most effective.