The American Heart Association endorses the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines for detection of high cholesterol: Everyone age 20 and older should have a fasting "lipoprotein profile" every five years. This test is done after a nine- to 12-hour fast without food, liquids or pills. It gives information about total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglycerides.

If you are not fasting when the test is done, your doctor won't be able to get an accurate lipid profile and may need to test you again. Be sure to review your test results with your doctor so you can understand and follow your treatment plan.

This content is reviewed regularly.  Last updated 04/04/08.