Study Supports Simpler Cholesterol Tests

Measuring cholesterol may get easier. That’s the conclusion of a new study. The study looked at blood tests for more than 300,000 people. They had taken part in 68 previous studies. None had heart disease at first. Their blood was tested for LDL (“bad” cholesterol), HDL (“good” cholesterol), total cholesterol and triglycerides. Researchers also looked at non-HDL cholesterol levels. They found that this number predicted future risk of heart attack or stroke as well as LDL levels. Fasting before the blood test made no difference in how well the results predicted risk. Also, triglyceride levels did not predict heart attack or stroke risk. Researchers said this means that tests could be simpler and done without fasting. The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. HealthDay News wrote about it November 10.