Our at home Lipids (Cholesterol) test helps you monitor cholesterol, a key risk factor for things like heart attacks and strokes, through a simple finger-prick collection, with online results in 2 to 4 days.
What is measured in this test?
- Total Cholesterol
- High Density Lipoprotein (HDL)
- Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
- Non-HDL Cholesterol
- Cholesterol: HDL ratio
- Triglycerides
Cholesterol levels can be associated with an increased risk of clotting in the arteries, which leads to coronary heart disease, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Measuring your cholesterol can help you to make lifestyle and dietary changes to improve your chances of a long and healthy life.
Some cholesterol comes from the food you eat, but most is made in your liver when you eat saturated fat. Cholesterol and other lipids are carried in the blood attached to proteins, forming particles known as lipoproteins.
HDL, or high density lipoprotein, is often called good cholesterol because it helps prevent disease by carrying other types of cholesterol away from the cells, back to the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from the body.
LDL, or Cholesterol - LDL cholesterol is part of low density lipoprotein. This is often called bad cholesterol, because if there’s too much LDL cholesterol in your blood it can build up in the arteries, clogging them up, leading to clots. Non-HDL is a measure of all forms of Cholesterol apart from HDL.
The cholesterol:HDL ratio is the ratio between all forms of cholesterol and HDL, so the lower the ratio the better. Non-HDL is a measure of all forms of cholesterol apart from HDL, so the lower this number the better.
Triglycerides are how the body stores fat. Most triglycerides are found in fat tissue, but some circulate in the blood to provide fuel for muscles to work. Extra triglycerides are found in the blood after eating a meal - when fat is being sent from the gut to fat tissue for storage. Triglycerides are the ‘saturated’ and ‘unsaturated’ fats you read about on food labels. High levels of triglycerides put you at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
PLEASE NOTE: For accurate results you must take the test after fasting for more than 8 hours (most often done first thing in the morning).
What's included?
- A finger prick kit and vials for blood collection
- A clear set of instructions
- A pre-paid, self-adhesive shipping label
- Results from an accredited lab within 3 days of receipt
- Access to your own online dashboard to view your detailed results
To purchase this test, please click here.