LAB TEST GUIDE

What a heart and diabetes risk panel tests, and how to read it

Clinically reviewed by Pedro Alvarez, PA-C, Florida-licensed Physician Associate (PA9113765) · Last reviewed 2026-10-06

What is in the panel

Numbers you can read yourself

Cholesterol, optimal levels from the CDC:

• Total cholesterol: about 150 mg/dL
• LDL (“bad”) cholesterol: about 100 mg/dL
• HDL (“good”) cholesterol: at least 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women
• Triglycerides: less than 150 mg/dL

A1C, from the CDC:

• Below 5.7% is normal
• 5.7% to 6.4% is prediabetes
• 6.5% or above is diabetes

hs-CRP, as described by MedlinePlus:

• Lower than 1.0 mg/L: low risk
• 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L: average risk
• Higher than 3.0 mg/L: high risk

Your liver makes CRP in response to inflammation, so a recent illness or injury can raise it. One high reading is a reason to recheck, not a diagnosis.

Current cholesterol guidelines treat a high ApoB and a high hs-CRP as extra risk factors a clinician can weigh when deciding on treatment. Your provider reads them alongside your cholesterol numbers and your overall risk.

Fasting insulin has no single agreed cut-off. Your provider reads it together with your glucose and A1C.

What the guidelines actually say

• Diabetes screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in adults aged 35 to 70 who have overweight or obesity.
• Cholesterol. The CDC says most healthy adults should have cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years.
• Statins. The Task Force recommends a statin for adults aged 40 to 75 who have at least one risk factor and an estimated 10-year heart risk of 10% or more. That decision uses your age, blood pressure, smoking status and cholesterol together, not one lab number.
• ApoB, hs-CRP and fasting insulin are not part of routine screening for everyone. They are extra detail for people who want a closer look or who have risk factors.

This panel is a good fit if you have a family history of early heart disease or diabetes, borderline cholesterol or blood sugar in the past, or weight around the middle that will not shift. It also suits anyone who wants more than a basic cholesterol check.

How to prepare

• Fast for 10 to 12 hours before your draw. Plain water is fine. No coffee, juice, gum or food. Quest requires a fasting sample for the insulin test.
• Go in the morning so the fast is mostly overnight.
• Wait if you are sick. A cold, infection or injury can raise hs-CRP. Consider testing once you have recovered.
• Keep taking prescribed medicines unless your own prescriber has told you otherwise.

What happens after your draw

1. Results usually arrive in 1 to 3 business days.
2. A licensed Goza provider reviews them and sends you a written explanation of what is in range, what is not, and what to do next.
3. If a result needs follow-up, you choose what happens next. You can book a video visit with a Goza provider to go over it and discuss any treatment we can offer by telehealth. Or we refer you to your primary care provider, or to other in-person care when that fits better. Either way, we say plainly which one applies.

Lab results are information, not a diagnosis on their own, and this panel is not for emergencies. If you have chest pain, trouble breathing, or any urgent symptom, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

What it costs

• $129.40 all-in on Fullscript, our lab partner. That covers the lab tests, the draw at Quest, and the provider’s review of your results.
• Goza members: $80.40. The $49 clinician review fee is waived for members on every lab order.
• At-home blood draw is available for an extra $85.
• No insurance is needed, and nothing is billed to insurance.

About Goza

Goza is a Florida telehealth practice. Florida-licensed clinicians treat common conditions by message visit ($79) or video visit ($99), and review every lab panel ordered through Goza. We care for adults 18 and older who are physically in Florida, in English or Spanish. No insurance is needed. Goza does not prescribe controlled substances.

Frequently asked questions

Ready to order?

Sources

1. Quest Diagnostics. Test Directory, patient preparation and collection instructions for each test in this panel, read 2026-10-06. https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Cholesterol. https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/about/index.html
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Testing for Cholesterol. May 15, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/cholesterol/testing/index.html
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A1C Test for Diabetes and Prediabetes. May 15, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/diabetes-testing/prediabetes-a1c-test.html
5. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes: Screening. August 24, 2021. Grade B. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/screening-for-prediabetes-and-type-2-diabetes
6. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Statin Use for the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults: Preventive Medication. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/statin-use-in-adults-preventive-medication
7. MedlinePlus. C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test and Medical Encyclopedia C-reactive protein (reviewed 1/28/2025). https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/c-reactive-protein-crp-test/ · https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003356.htm
8. MedlinePlus. Insulin in Blood Test. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/insulin-in-blood/
9. MedlinePlus. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP). https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/comprehensive-metabolic-panel-cmp/
10. MedlinePlus. Fasting for a Blood Test. https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/fasting-for-a-blood-test/

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