There are some people who state that home cholesterol (Chol.) testing is not as accurate as testing that is conducted in a laboratory. Well, this may surprise you, but it is not true! There are two major types of tests that you can perform at home, a full lipid profile test (the same as is performed in a hospital) or a total cholesterol test. With this variety of options there is no doubt that cholesterol testing joins blood sugar tests, ovulation kits and home HIV testing as a standard product that can be found in any American home.

The fact is that home kits are essential so that you can monitor your Chol. levels in the convenience of your home without having to go to a laboratory. A total cholesterol home test is meant to be able to monitor total Chol. levels so that the ‘borderline’ cases can be identified before they reach the ‘high red alert’ zone. In addition to this, a total cholesterol test is extremely helpful in keeping track of Chol. levels when you have set a target for yourself and want to lower your levels. A full lipid panel gives you more detail, breaking down the results into four categories.

As is the case in most medical tests that you perform yourself, cholesterol testing done right also involves understanding the readings that appear on the scale. A complete lipid profile cholesterol test will give you [a] reading for total Chol., low-density lipoprotein (bad Chol.), high-density lipoprotein (good Chol.) and triglycerides. Measuring total cholesterol at home gives you just one number which is a fairly good idea about the direction in which your total Chol. level is going.

It is important to be able to read the numbers on a total cholesterol home test and know what they mean if you are to be able to understand whether you are in the safe zone, high cholesterol zone or the borderline zone. Such a test gives you the total cholesterol levels in a matter of a few minutes and all that you need to do is to look at the reading and find out whether your cholesterol levels are under control or not.

According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, following are the cholesterol test result ranges and their interpretations.

Desirable range – lower than 200 mg/dL or 5.17 mmol/L

Borderline – Between 200 mg/dL and 239 mg/dL or between 5.17 mmol/L and 6.21 mmol/L

High cholesterol levels – higher than 240 mg/dL or 6.21 mmol/L

If the reading that you obtain on your cholesterol test is in the desirable range, then you have no reason to worry. On the other hand if the reading falls in the borderline or high cholesterol range, then you might need to purchase a full lipid profile home cholesterol test to completely understand the situation. The specific action that you take in trying to reduce the total cholesterol levels shall also depend on the kind of scores that you obtain for HDL, LDL and triglycerides.

Continuing to use a home cholesterol test as you take specific steps to reduce the cholesterol levels is a good idea since you can keep a tab on how you are faring.

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.