The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just released a cholesterol testing study which shows that high LDL cholesterol levels have decreased, fewer people had high LDL cholesterol in 2006 compared to 2000. The decrease in high LDL cholesterol levels can be attributed to lower fat diets and prescription statin drug use. While that may sound like good news from the study, there is some dangerous news as well – one in five people in the US still have high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and approximately 60% of those with high LDL were unaware of this condition.

The CDC study was led by Dr. Elena V. Kuklina and her research is published in the Nov. 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study focused on LDL levels since LDL cholesterol is the “bad” type that can clog arteries. The fact that 60% of the high LDL people were unaware of their condition brings up a concern about cholesterol testing. “Even though it’s decreasing over time, we still have a high prevalence,” said Kuklina. “If we want to address this problem, we have to work in all different directions and at different levels like screening, diagnosis and treatment.”

The United States national health objective is for 80% of people who qualify to be screened for high cholesterol, however during the study periods less than 70 percent were screened. “I find these results alarming,” said W. Douglas Weaver, immediate past president of the American College of Cardiology, in a statement. “Although we are making great strides in cholesterol management in patients with known heart disease, this study shows that many patients who could benefit from lipid-lowering medications and changes in their lifestyle and diet are still going unrecognized, and untreated.”

There are different recommendations about the age at which cholesterol screening should begin, Kuklina noted. The CDC, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the American Heart Association recommend that screening tests should start at age 20, she said. The medical community has always supported the fact that to test for LDL cholesterol you must fast for eight hours before testing. However, for a total cholesterol test, fasting is not necessary which is why a total cholesterol test may be performed at a doctor’s office instead of a full cholesterol panel which requires fasting.

Measuring your total cholesterol is helpful and can be used for managing your cholesterol, especially when trying to change your diet and increase your exercise to help reduce your total cholesterol level. A very simple and inexpensive home cholesterol test is available to monitor your total cholesterol level.  According to the American Heart Association a full cholesterol panel should be obtained every five years after the age of 20. A full cholesterol panel or fasting lipoprotein profile (total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides) must be performed by a laboratory.  There is a home cholesterol test that can provide your full profile the CheckUp America Cholesterol Panel which is FDA cleared and endorsed by the American Diabetes Association.

If you are over age 20 you should have been screened for high cholesterol levels.  If you have not been screened, ask you doctor why not?  The major advantage of screening early for high cholesterol is the opportunity to control your cholesterol levels with a proper diet and good exercise before your cholesterol levels are high.