What information can we derive from a blood cholesterol test?
When a health professional refers to our blood cholesterol level it is usually total cholesterol. Total cholesterol is the sum of the cholesterol in all of the lipoproteins circulating in our blood at the time of the blood draw. Since chylomicrons will circulate only for a couple hours after a meal, they should be absent from blood drawn after an overnight fast. If there are chylomicrons in a fasting blood sample it could indicate a medical condition whereby chylomicrons are not rapidly and efficiently processed.
The fractions of total cholesterol are the amount of cholesterol found in each type or class of lipoproteins. Thus LDL-cholesterol is the cholesterol only found in LDL. And likewise HDL-cholesterol is the cholesterol found only in HDL. With regard to heart attacks and strokes having a total cholesterol level greater than 200 mg per 100 mL of blood and elevated LDL- and low HDL-cholesterol levels increase the risk (see Table 5.6 for a sample lipid profile).
Table 5.6. Lipid Profile Example
| Blood Lipid or Ratio | Measurement (milligrams/100 milliliters) |
Normal Range (milligrams/100 milliliters) |
| Triglyceride (TG) | 137 mg/100 ml | 0-200 mg/100 ml |
| Cholesterol (total) | 163 mg/100 ml | 50-200 mg/100 ml |
| HDL-cholesterol | 42 mg/100 ml | 30-90 mg/100 ml |
| VLDL-cholesterol | 27 mg/100 ml | 5-40 mg/100 ml |
| LDL-cholesterol | 94 mg/100 ml | 50-130 mg/100 ml |
| Cholesterol:HDL | 3.9 (ratio) | 3.7-6.7 |
| LDL-chol:HDL-chol | 2.2 (ratio) |
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