How to check cholesterol at home: Tests and results

Table of Content

• Easily Discover Your Personal Levels Of Total Cholesterol Hdl Calculated Ldl And Triglycerides
• Frequently asked questions about at-home cholesterol tests
• What is normal cholesterol level for a woman?
• Some Of The Symptoms Associated With High Cholesterol Levels Should Not Be Ignored
• Previous PostCan I test my iron levels at home?
• How can I get rid of belly fat?
• In general, you're better off not checking your cholesterol at home. Let a lab give you the detailed information you need.

According to the Food and Drug Administration , at-home cholesterol tests are as accurate as tests doctors provide in a clinic. The FDA recommends that people follow the manufacturer’s instructions to help prevent inaccurate results. The reliability of cholesterol home tests varies, and the results can fluctuate. Many cholesterol home test kits advertise that they are greater than 95% accurate. Still, these cholesterol results should be considered approximations and should not take the place of a cholesterol test conducted by your health care provider. This color will tell you how much cholesterol is in your droplet of blood.

All you have to do is prick your finger with thesingle-uselancet enclosed with the test and then apply one drop of your blood to the “test” area of the test card. If you are unsure about which cholesterol home test kit to purchase, the FDA has set up the Over-The-Counter Database. This database is an excellent resource to search for FDA-cleared cholesterol home test kits. You can also use it to find other types of home test kits.

Easily Discover Your Personal Levels Of Total Cholesterol Hdl Calculated Ldl And Triglycerides

The test will enable you to track improvements and help motivate you to continue to manage your heart health. If you have high cholesterol levels, this can mean there is fatty material building up in the walls of your arteries. If this fatty material breaks away, this can cause a blood clot to form, which could block the artery.

And theres bad cholesterol known as low-density lipoprotein . LDL builds up on the walls of your arteries, blocking healthy blood flow and raising your stroke and heart attack risk. The makers of home cholesterol tests rightly tout their products as faster than visiting a doctor. You prick your finger, gently squeeze a few drops of blood onto a test strip or into a small "well," and you get the results in a few minutes, instead of waiting a few days.

Frequently asked questions about at-home cholesterol tests

Your body uses triglycerides for fuel when it needs extra energy. But high triglyceride levels may pose a risk to your heart health and may lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and cardiovascular disease. Thatâs because triglycerides can contribute to plaque formation in arteries, which can lead to a narrowing of the arteries. Your heart then has to work harder to pump blood to your organs and other body parts. Taking a lipid panel, which often includes triglycerides can tell you if your triglyceride levels are elevated. Most people are aware of the damaging effects of saturated fat on LDL—or "bad"—cholesterol levels, but experts say eating a diet containing excess sugar can have a similar effect.

As a seasoned health writer, Jennifer Nied understands how vital quality product recommendations are for treating symptoms safely and effectively at home. Every product in this piece was selected taking into account recommendations from doctors, published research, and real customer reviews. The Curo L5 Digital Meter Blood Total Cholesterol Test Kit is an easy to use way to check your cholesterol levels. Each test kit contains a test card, lancet, and plaster. A person uses the lancet to prick a finger and get a small blood sample.

What is normal cholesterol level for a woman?

This can lead to false-positive results, potentially leading a person to take cholesterol medication unnecessarily. According to the FDA, at-home tests for cholesterol vary in accuracy from brand to brand. This dilutes the blood sample with tissue fluid and can break down or destroy red blood cells, skewing your results. This lightweight, battery-operated meter has a storage capacity for 500 readings. This enables you to keep track of your progress over an extended period of time.

After three minutes, you can check the colour of the test area against the comparative colour chart and read your result. LDL and HDL stand for ‘low density lipoprotein’ and ‘high density lipoprotein’. These are two categories of the lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in your blood. Cholesterol is carried in our blood by substances called lipoproteins, and there are several different types, carrying cholesterol for different purposes.

What Should You Not Eat When You Have High Cholesterol

Instead, a color guide provides information on cholesterol levels. You can't tell if you have high cholesterol without having it checked. Men 35 years of age and older and women 45 years of age and older should have their cholesterol checked.

According to the AHA, people with high triglyceride and LDL levels may also have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Sarah has over 10 years of experience teaching and practicing phlebotomy and intravenous therapy using physical, psychological, and emotional support. She received her Massage Therapist License from the Amarillo Massage Therapy Institute in 2008 and a M.S.

Some Of The Symptoms Associated With High Cholesterol Levels Should Not Be Ignored

Instead, typically a combination of various lifestyle factors is to blame. Obesity, lack of exercise, diabetes, alcohol and cigarettes all play a role. Some people are also genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol levels.

This database is a great resource for searching for FDA-approved cholesterol test kits. You can also use it to find other types of home testing kits. The reliability of the home cholesterol test is variable and the results may fluctuate. Many home cholesterol test kits report that they are more than 95% accurate. However, these results should be considered approximate and should not replace a cholesterol test performed by your health care provider. Thats why its important to have your doctor check your cholesterol levels with a simple blood test.

If you dont use a kit with an electronic meter, you may have trouble reading the color on the test strip. This will make it more difficult to interpret your test results. Many people dont discover that they have high cholesterol until they suffer one of these life-threatening events. Some people find out through routine check-ups that include blood tests.

Those with a family history of high cholesterol or other health conditions like diabetes or heart disease should get checked more frequently. Many home cholesterol tests can measure total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides from a blood sample. These tests can be purchased online or at your local pharmacy. If you are not sure which cholesterol test kit to buy, the FDA has created a database of OTC products.