Cholesterol Testing
How High Cholesterol is Diagnosed
Cholesterol Testing
If you want or need to have your cholesterol level measured, it is done via a blood test. Usually, you will be asked to fast for 12 hours prior to the blood being taken, so that food that has been eaten recently does not affect the outcome of the test. Your GP can do this test for you.
If you want a rougher guide to your cholesterol level, you could buy a home cholesterol measuring test kit. Some kits just measure your total cholesterol, others measure both your total and HDL cholesterol levels.
The blood cholesterol level is measured in millimoles per litre of blood, which is abbreviated to mmol/L. Current recommendations are the following:
- Total cholesterol should be less than 5 mmol/L
- LDL cholesterol should be less than 3mmol/L
For those at high risk of heart disease (eg a close female relative suffered from heart disease aged 64 or under, or a close male relative suffered from heart disease aged 54 or under), there are the following recommendations:
- Total cholesterol level under 4mmol/L
- LDL cholesterol under 2 mmol/L
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