Keeping an eye on cholesterol levels is an important part of maintaining an optimal level of health and preventing serious illnesses such as heart disease and heart attacks. Available in medical clinics as well as in a home cholesterol test, it's now convenient and easy for everyone to keep track of their cholesterol levels. With home cholesterol tests, you can catch problems early on and speak to your doctor as soon as it becomes a concern.
What Makes Cholesterol So Dangerous?
Cholesterol and triglycerides are like fat cells that float around in the blood. The 'bad cholesterol' attaches itself to the arteries, hardening them and increasing your risk of heart attacks and heart disease. Triglycerides are slightly different, but have a similar effect on the body. These fats aren't all bad however. The 'good cholesterol' known as high-density lipoprotein helps build the body's defenses and protects the heart.
Many people can help prevent the bad fats from building up in and around their heart by getting plenty of exercise and watching what they eat. For others however, high cholesterol is a heredity trait. Regardless of how healthy you feel or what your lifestyle is like, you should still have your cholesterol levels tested regularly to ensure everything is as it should be. If something goes wrong and these substances begin to build up in the body, early detection will become vitally important for minimizing and even reversing the damage.
When Should Someone Take A Home Cholesterol Test?
Individuals should have their cholesterol levels tested in several situations. Anyone over the age of 20 should be tested with at the same time as their physical examinations. This can all be done with tests such as those for Triglycerides, a lipid profile, an HDL, or LDL test right in the doctor's office.
Those who already suffer from unhealthy levels of blood fats need frequent testing. This makes the home cholesterol test the ideal option since it's convenient and doesn't require appointments. The physician can help determine how often a patient should be testing. The patient simply needs to track the results and follow the doctor's recommendations to keep these substances balanced. It is also important to note that cholesterol levels should only be tested on a healthy individual who has not suffered extreme stress, injury, or illness for at least six weeks.
Taking The Test
In order to take the test and get an accurate reading, you must have consumed nothing but water for 9-12 hours. You may also need to stop taking certain medications, but this depends on your physician's recommendations. To perform the test, you'll prick a finger with the lancet included in the test, collect a drop on a special paper, and touch it to the test machine to find out how much cholesterol is in the blood. The entire process is relatively painless, and except for the fasting, requires only a few short minutes.
A home cholesterol test is the fast and convenient way for anyone to keep track of HDL, LDL, and other blood fat levels. This makes it easy to ensure that you are able to live as long and as healthy a life as possible.
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