Where Can I Get My Cholesterol Tested?
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat produced by the liver and found in certain foods. While some cholesterol is essential for our bodies, excessive levels can clog arteries and elevate the risk of serious health conditions, such as heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks.
In this guide, we explain what a cholesterol test entails and where you can get your cholesterol tested. By understanding and monitoring your cholesterol levels, you can take proactive steps to maintain a healthy range and reduce your risk of related health issues.
What is a Cholesterol Test?
A cholesterol test, also called a lipid panel, measures the different types of cholesterol in your blood. A cholesterol test involves a simple blood test, which can be done by:
- A finger prick test – this takes a small sample of blood from your finger and can provide results straight away.
- A blood sample is taken from your arm using a needle and syringe and sent off for testing. You might be asked to fast before the test, which means not eating or drinking anything but water for up to 12 hours before the test. But most people do not need to fast.
What is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a type of blood fat that plays an important role in every cell in your body, including:
- Making up part of the outer layer, or membrane, of all your cells
- Making vitamin D and steroid hormones, which keep your bones, teeth and muscles healthy
- Making bile, which helps to digest the fats you eat
There are various types of cholesterol, and each has different effects on the body, but the main two types are LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.
LDL cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is often known as ‘bad cholesterol’ because too much of it can clog up your arteries and lead to health conditions like heart disease and put you at higher risk of strokes or heart attacks. However, you need some LDL cholesterol in your blood.
HDL cholesterol
HDL, on the other hand, is often known as ‘good cholesterol’ because it carries cholesterol away from cells back to the liver to be broken down and can help prevent disease.
Cholesterol levels
When you have a cholesterol blood test, you will usually receive a result that shows your total cholesterol levels, sometimes shown as ‘TC’, along with your HDL cholesterol levels.
In addition, you should also get a TC:HDL ratio, which shows the ratio of ‘good’ cholesterol to total cholesterol. Ideally, this ratio should be as low as possible, with anything above 6 classed as high.
Where Can You Get a Cholesterol Blood Test?
The only accurate way to check your cholesterol levels is to have a health professional take a cholesterol blood test.
You can get a cholesterol blood test at your local GP surgery as part of the NHS Health Check if you are aged 40-74 and have no existing health conditions. You may also be able to request a cholesterol test from your GP if you have specific concerns.
Some local pharmacies also offer a cholesterol check for a fee. Or you can book a private cholesterol blood test with a private provider, like Bluecrest Wellness, for complete convenience and peace of mind.
Why Should You Get Your Cholesterol Checked?
Unlike some health conditions, there are usually no symptoms that you have high cholesterol. However, high cholesterol can put you at higher risk of certain health conditions, like heart disease, and increase your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, which is why we recommend that everyone get their cholesterol checked regularly.
It is also important to check your cholesterol if you:
- Are aged 40 or over
- You are at high risk of heart disease
- You have been diagnosed with heart disease
- You have a close relative with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH)
- You are taking medications to help lower your cholesterol
Why Choose Bluecrest Wellness?
At Bluecrest Wellness, we provide private cholesterol blood tests as part of our private health MOTs to help you keep a check on your cholesterol level. Booking a health MOT ensures you get a comprehensive assessment of your general health and wellbeing, as well as key insights into any potential risks to your health, like high cholesterol levels.
You receive a comprehensive Results Report with a private health MOT, which gives each test result a green, amber or red ‘flag’. Green results are within the recommended range for your age and sex; amber results are slightly outside what we'd normally expect; and red results are further outside the norm.
If any result is amber or red, including your blood cholesterol test, we'll give follow-up advice on any action you need to take - whether that's making lifestyle changes, monitoring the result, or visiting your GP for further investigation. In addition, with any of our full health checks, you also get access to a free 24/7 GP helpline for an entire year.
We have locations available across the UK, making it easy for you to find a test centre that is convenient for you to attend. Plus, you can be confident that we will deliver fast, efficient, and accurate results as we have established links with leading UK laboratories and are fully accredited for a wide range of private blood checks. In addition, alongside a Results Report, you get free 24/7 access to a GP helpline for a year following your tests.
