Cholesterol (Lipids) Screen

Cholesterol is a fatty substance that your body needs to build healthy cells, produce hormones and make vitamin D. Although cholesterol is essential for good health, having too much cholesterol in your blood can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Measuring total cholesterol provides an overall assessment of your cholesterol level and is interpreted alongside HDL, LDL and triglycerides to give a more complete picture of your cardiovascular health.

Often referred to as "good cholesterol", HDL helps remove excess cholesterol from your bloodstream and transports it back to the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from the body. Higher HDL levels are generally associated with a lower risk of heart disease, making this an important marker of cardiovascular health. Maintaining healthy HDL levels is often supported by regular exercise, maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding smoking.

LDL is commonly known as "bad cholesterol" because high levels can lead to cholesterol building up within the walls of your arteries. Over time, this can narrow the arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular diseases. Monitoring LDL cholesterol is one of the most important ways of assessing long-term cardiovascular risk and is often used to guide lifestyle changes and cholesterol-lowering treatment where appropriate.

Non-HDL cholesterol measures all of the cholesterol that may contribute to the build-up of fatty deposits within your arteries. It includes LDL cholesterol as well as several other potentially harmful cholesterol particles. Many specialists consider non-HDL cholesterol to be one of the best indicators of cardiovascular risk, particularly in people with diabetes, obesity or raised triglyceride levels.

Triglycerides are a type of fat found in your blood that your body uses as a source of energy. After eating, excess calories that are not immediately required are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat tissue. Persistently raised triglyceride levels may be associated with obesity, diabetes, excessive alcohol consumption, diets high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, and some inherited conditions. High triglyceride levels increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and, when very high, may also increase the risk of pancreatitis.

The cholesterol-to-HDL ratio compares your total cholesterol with your HDL ("good") cholesterol. Rather than looking at individual cholesterol measurements alone, this ratio provides an overall assessment of cardiovascular risk by considering both protective and harmful cholesterol. In general, a lower ratio is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, while a higher ratio may indicate an increased cardiovascular risk.