If you are worried about your cholesterol you may be wondering if you should get an at home cholesterol test kit. Although there is never anything as accurate as having a medical exam or professional test done, it can still be beneficial to check your cholesterol more often at home.
When trying to figure out which type of home cholesterol test kit to purchase, you need to know that not all cholesterol test kits are the same or test the same things. There are some test kits that only measure the total cholesterol levels. If you are worried about your bad cholesterol levels then you are going to want to get a home test kit that measures (HDL) the high density lipoproteins, the (LDL) low density lipoproteins and the triglycerides.
The HDL cholesterol is the healthy type of cholesterol. Having a high HDL cholesterol level is a good thing. When you have a high HDL cholesterol level it helps to protect the heart from the bad cholesterols. This means the risk of a heart attack are much lower. The HDL cholesterol levels should be above 40mg/dL. Any lower than that will increase the risk of having heart disease.
The LDL cholesterol is the type of cholesterol that is considered unhealthy. LDL cholesterol can build up in the walls of the arteries and form hard plague deposits. This prevents the blood from moving freely through the arteries and can cause blood clots. If a clot blocks an artery then the result can be a stroke or a heart attack.
Triglyceride is a type of fat that is made in the body. People who are overweight, smoke, drink excessive amounts of alcohol, consume a lot of carbohydrates or lack physical exercise are all at risk for having elevated triglycerides. Usually when a person has a high triglyceride level they also have high cholesterol.
There are a lot of factors that can play a role in whether a person has high cholesterol. Sometimes high cholesterol can be inherited. A person with diabetes or heart disease can also have a greater risk. For these reasons it is important to see your doctor regularly to monitor your cholesterol levels.
When using an in home cholesterol test kit, there are a few things to consider. Usually when cholesterol levels are monitored in a medical office a person must fast before hand in order to achieve the proper results. This means that unless you fast before you perform your in home cholesterol test you may not get the same accurate results. Also, in a professional setting the individual levels of each type of cholesterol are studied. Depending on the type of in home cholesterol test kit used, this may or may not be an option.
Most of the cholesterol test kits are quick and easy to use. Some claim to be nearly 97% accurate with fast results. Most of the kits require one or two drops of blood and take only 10 to 15 minutes to provide the reading. The kits can be found at your local drug store or online at special cholesterol testing websites.
Again, it is important to pick the right type of test kit for your needs. The test kits that monitor all three of the cholesterol and triglyceride levels may be a little more expensive but they may provide more accurate results. If you choose to perform these cholesterol tests from home, it is a good idea to get approval by your physician first and instructions on how to use the test kit appropriately to achieve the most accurate results.
Comments are closed