Get Your Cholesterol Checked
It’s important to get your cholesterol checked regularly. Too much cholesterol in your blood can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
The good news is that it’s easy to get your cholesterol checked. If your cholesterol is high, you can take steps to lower it — like eating healthy, getting more physical activity, and taking medicine if your doctor recommends it.
How often do I need to get my cholesterol checked?
The general recommendation is to get your cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years. Some people may need to get their cholesterol checked more often depending on their risk of heart disease.
For example, high cholesterol can run in families. If someone in your family has high cholesterol or takes medicine to control cholesterol, you might need to get tested more often. Talk to your doctor about what’s best for you.
What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a waxy material that’s found naturally in your blood. Your body makes cholesterol and uses it to do important things, like making hormones and digesting fatty foods.
If you have too much cholesterol in your body, it can build up inside your blood vessels and make it hard for blood to flow through them. Over time, this can lead to heart disease.
Cholesterol Test
How can I tell if I have high cholesterol?
Most people who have high cholesterol don’t have any signs or symptoms. That’s why it’s so important to get your cholesterol checked.
How can I get my cholesterol checked?
Your doctor will check your cholesterol levels with a blood test called a lipid profile. A nurse will take a small sample of blood from your finger or arm for this test.
There are other blood tests that can check cholesterol, but a lipid profile gives the most information.
Types of Cholesterol
What do the test results mean?
If you get a lipid profile test, the results will show a few numbers. A lipid profile measures:
- Total cholesterol
- LDL (bad) cholesterol
- HDL (good) cholesterol
- Triglycerides
Total cholesterol is a measure of all the cholesterol in your blood. It’s based on the LDL, HDL, and triglycerides numbers.
LDL cholesterol is a “bad” type of cholesterol that can block your arteries — so a lower level is better for you. Having a high LDL level can increase your risk for heart disease.
HDL cholesterol is the “good” type of cholesterol that helps clear LDL cholesterol out of your arteries — so a higher level is better for you. Having a low HDL cholesterol level can increase your risk for heart disease.
Triglycerides are a type of fat in your blood that can increase your risk for heart attack and stroke.
The results of your lipid profile test may also show your non-HDL cholesterol number. Non-HDL cholesterol is LDL cholesterol and the other “bad” types of cholesterol. In other words, it’s your total cholesterol minus your HDL cholesterol. Having a high non-HDL level can increase your risk for heart disease.
Am I at Risk?
What can cause unhealthy cholesterol levels?
Causes of high LDL (bad) cholesterol or low HDL (good) cholesterol levels include:
- Age
- Smoking, using other tobacco products, or drinking alcohol
- Not getting enough physical activity
- Eating too much saturated fat or not enough fruits and vegetables
- Taking certain medicines, like medicines to lower blood pressure
- Family history of high cholesterol
- Familial hypercholesterolemia (a condition passed down through families that causes very high LDL cholesterol levels)
- Certain other health problems, like type 2 diabetes or obesity
What if my cholesterol levels aren't healthy?
As your LDL cholesterol gets higher, so does your risk of heart disease. Take these steps to lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart disease:
- Eat heart-healthy foods
- Get active
- Stay at a healthy weight
- If you smoke, quit
- Drink only a moderate (limited) amount of alcohol
- If you have other chronic conditions — like type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure — take steps to manage them
- Ask your doctor about taking medicine to lower your risk of heart attack and stroke
