Cholesterol Blood Test

It is called a lipid profile, or lipid panel. Cholesterol travels in the blood in particles called lipoproteins, and the test measures the main types: LDL (low-density lipoprotein, the type that builds up in arteries), HDL (high-density lipoprotein, which carries cholesterol away), non-HDL (everything except HDL, which the NHS now uses as the main risk figure), total cholesterol, the ratio of total to HDL, and triglycerides, a different kind of blood fat.

The NHS uses these targets for healthy adults, all in millimoles per litre (mmol/L):

If you already have heart disease, diabetes or are on a statin, your GP will have set lower personal targets. Your GP report explains where each of your results sits.

A total cholesterol of 5.7 mmol/L is above the NHS target of 5, so it counts as raised. On its own it is not an emergency, and total cholesterol matters less than the balance between LDL, non-HDL and HDL. Someone with a total of 5.7 made up mostly of HDL is in a very different position from someone whose LDL is high. This is why the test reports all six markers, and why your GP report looks at the pattern rather than one number.

For the most accurate triglyceride reading, yes: eat nothing for 8 to 12 hours before the sample and drink only water. Total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and non-HDL are barely affected by food, so the NHS often runs cholesterol tests without fasting. If you cannot fast, the test is still useful; the GP report will take a non-fasting sample into account when reading triglycerides.

Eat a normal evening meal and avoid alcohol, then have nothing but water from the evening until your sample is taken the next morning, so that you fast for 8 to 12 hours. Do not eat a very fatty meal or skip meals for days beforehand; either can distort the result. Take your usual medication unless your GP has told you otherwise.

At any of Goodbody's 250+ partner clinics across the UK, at home with a finger-prick kit, or with a nurse who comes to you. No GP referral is needed. The NHS offers a free cholesterol check as part of the NHS Health Check for people aged 40 to 74 every five years, and your GP can test you if you have a family history or other risk factors. A private test is the quick route if you are outside those groups or do not want to wait. Find your nearest clinic.

Yes. The home kit takes a small finger-prick sample that you post back to the laboratory in the packaging provided. It measures all six markers with the same laboratory analysis as the clinic test and comes with the same GP report, which is a step up from the single-number meters sold in pharmacies.

A private cholesterol blood test costs from £49 at Goodbody Clinic. The home finger-prick kit is £49, a blood draw at one of our clinics is £69 and a nurse home visit is £89. Every option includes laboratory analysis of all six markers and a GP report.

Non-HDL cholesterol is your total cholesterol minus your HDL, so it captures all the cholesterol carried in the particles that can build up in arteries, not just LDL. The NHS and NICE now use it as the main figure for judging cardiovascular risk and for setting statin targets, because it is a better predictor than LDL alone and does not need a fasting sample. A healthy non-HDL is 4 mmol/L or below.

Usually none. High cholesterol has no symptoms, which is why it is only found by testing. Rarely, very high inherited cholesterol (familial hypercholesterolaemia) shows as fatty deposits around the eyes or on tendons, or a pale ring around the iris in younger people. If a close relative had a heart attack or stroke before 60, or has familial hypercholesterolaemia, you should be tested whatever your age.

Replacing saturated fat (fatty meat, butter, cream, pastries) with unsaturated fats (olive and rapeseed oil, nuts, oily fish), eating more fibre, oats, beans and fruit, being active for 150 minutes a week, losing excess weight and stopping smoking all lower LDL and non-HDL within a few months. A repeat test after three months shows whether changes are working. If levels stay high or your overall risk is raised, your GP may recommend a statin.