Home cholesterol tests are a simple, convenient and cost effective method to check your cholesterol levels. In this section, I will answer questions not just about home cholesterol tests, but aim to provide you with the information you need to decide whether or not you want to do your cholesterol tests at home and what to look out for when you go to buy your home cholesterol test kit.

Here is what I cover:

  • Why Test Your Cholesterol?
  • Know Your Numbers
  • When Should You Test Your Cholesterol Levels?
  • Where To Have Your Cholesterol Tested
  • Benefits of Home Cholesterol Tests
  • How To Choose Your Home Cholesterol Test Kit
    • The three basic classes of home cholesterol test kits
    • Other factors to look out for
    • Digital Multi-Use/Multi-Test Kits

Why Test Your Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a fatty substance in your blood that at the same time is indispensible for many of our body’s functions and dangerous if its level is to high in the case of total and LDL cholesterol, as well as for triglycerides, or too low for HDL cholesterol.

Rising cholesterol levels show no symptoms until it is literally too late. Of course, when this happens, then the onset of heart disease or cardio vascular disease is a certain sign of dangerously high cholesterol levels. A blood test is virtually the only way to test for the various indicators like total, LDL and HDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides and homocysteines.

Cholesterol testing is therefore a preventative measure to safeguard your health and your life. The more your cholesterol levels deviate from what is considered healthy or desirable, the higher the risk of heart disease with potentially fatal outcome.

Of course, if you suffer from high or even just borderline high cholesterol, it is vital that you keep checking on whether the measures you have implemented advance you in the right direction.

The safest way forward is to know your cholesterol and triglyceride numbers.

Know Your Numbers

Cholesterol and triglycerides are measured internationally in SI units (mm/l) although some countries like, for instance, the USA still retain conventional units (mg/dL).

The table below shows both types of units and the risk attached to the numbers.

The green area is the desirable area. That is where you want your numbers to be.

Yellow represents medium or near desirable numbers.

Orange is borderline high risk.

If your numbers are in the yellow or orange region, you should consider consulting your doctor as well as starting to look at your lifestyle and what you can do to integrate foods to lower cholesterol. Violet and red represent high or very high risk numbers. If your numbers are in this area, you definitely need to consult a doctor.

Cholesterol Table

The mm/l scales for triglycerides and for cholesterol have different conversion factors. Conversion factors from conventional units (mg/dL) into SI units (mm/l) are:

  • for cholesterol (total / HDL / LDL) = 0.0259
  • for triglycerides = 0.0113

You don’t have to test for all factors. Here is the formula that allows you to calculate LDL cholesterol as long as you have the three other factors:

Cholesterol Formula

Of course, there are other indicators that may warn of unduly high cholesterol levels such as genetic factors or diet. If others in your family suffer from high cholesterol, you are better off with a cholesterol test. The same holds if your diet is full saturated fats, that is, lots of red meat, cheeses and other dairy products. But these indicators are only warning lights that it would be in your interest to have a cholesterol test. They don’t tell you what your cholesterol levels are or when it is time to have a cholesterol test.

When Should You Test Your Cholesterol Levels?

Generally, when all is well, you should be testing your cholesterol levels every two years. Why? Because this length of time allows you to introduce lasting lifestyle changes should your measurements indicate a need for adjustments such adopting a low cholesterol diet plan.

People with elevated cholesterol levels who are on medication ought to test every three months. This allows you to keep a reasonably close check on whether these lifestyle changes work and if so, how effective they are.

Where To Have Your Cholesterol Tested

The obvious choice for cholesterol testing is your doctor’s surgery. Another one could be pharmacies that offer testing services. In both cases, the test would be carried out by a suitably trained medical professional.

The third option is to do it yourself, a home cholesterol test. Today, this option is altogether doable, inexpensive and safe because the technology exists that enables you to reliably obtain accurate and fast readings of various blood chemistries such as total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose.

Benefits of Home Cholesterol Tests

There are two major, immediate benefits of home cholesterol tests. You definitely save not only time but also money. And you don’t have to organise your fasting schedule around your doctor’s or pharmacist’s timetable, which adds convenience as another major advantage.

You have the choice of quite a number of cholesterol testing kits. One factor to consider when you decide which one to use is the type of test they offer. Many provide only total cholesterol readings, which may be insufficient for your purposes.

Ideally, to be able to know your numbers, you would like all four cholesterol related data: total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol as well as triglycerides. The question here is:

How To Choose Your Home Cholesterol Test Kit

Make sure that the home cholesterol test kit of your choice offers you the features you want. Here are some pointers to look out for:

The three basic classes of home cholesterol test kits are:

  • Single Use/Single Test (total cholesterol)

These types contain only one cholesterol test kit and allow you to test at home for total cholesterol only. Waiting time for your results varies between 12 minutes and several days for those cholesterol test kits that oblige you to send the test strip off to a laboratory. This type of test kit can become expensive if used more than just occasionally.

  • Multi-Use/Single Test (total cholesterol)

These kits are basically that same as the single use/single test kits; they simply contain two kits in the same package. They still only allow you to test for total cholesterol but can be more price effective than the single use kits provided you use the second test strip within the expiry period and store it under correct conditions.

  • Multi-Use/Multi-Test (total / HDL / LDL cholesterol, triglycerides)

These kits are generally digital devices that allow you to test at home for total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Waiting time for your test result is about 2 minutes per test. If you intend to test your cholesterol levels at home over an extended period of time, the multi-use/multi-test home cholesterol test kits tend to provide the most cost effective solution.

Other factors to look out for:

  • Approval and Standards:

Make sure the home cholesterol test kit is FDA approved, certified by the Cholesterol Reference Method Laboratory Network (CRMLN) and CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) waived. This means that the home test kits are safe to use and provide a very high level of accuracy. Home cholesterol test kits sold in Europe should be CE marked to show that they conform to the standards of the European Community. Some devices that are sold worldwide satisfy all these requirements.

  • Price:

Starting price for a single use home cholesterol test kit is about $14 per test. You can reduce this significantly if you need to test your cholesterol ongoingly by investing in a digital multi-use/multi-test home cholesterol test kit. The cost of a single test replacement strip for such devices is about $3 to $4.

Digital Multi-Use/Multi-Test Kits

If you are opting for a multi-use/multi-test kit for your home cholesterol tests, you can choose between home devices and professional devices. Apart from price, convenience is the major difference between the home and professional kits.

The cholesterol test kit designed for home use requires you to use a separate test strip for each type of blood test you want to carry out (total / HDL / LDL cholesterol, triglycerides). This means that you have to allow 2 minutes per test.

With your home test kit, you don’t have to carry out all the test. You can use the formula to calculate LDL cholesterol from HDL + Total + Triglycerides. Calculated results tend to be within a range of 3% when compared with actually measured results.

The professional cholesterol test kit lets you do all these tests with one test strip and read the results off the hand held device. This can be a major saving in time and finger pricks if you need these tests regularly.

Remember, however convenient home cholesterol tests may be, always consult a suitably qualified health professional if your cholesterol levels are high or even just borderline high.

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