How accurate is your cholesterol test?
Executive summary
* This note was prompted by a query from a friend about the cholesterol test.
* It covers how vital cholesterol is; the difference between lipoproteins and cholesterol; and why there's no such thing as good and bad cholesterol.
* It explains what the main lipoproteins are; their relative sizes; what they contain; and where the density concept comes from.
* It sets out the component parts of the cholesterol test; the different measurements used in the US vs UK/Australia/Canada; and the estimation that we have used since 1972.
* Finally, it covers the main factors that substantially impact the cholesterol test result – from analytical and biological variation to sunshine and Oreo cookies.
* Hopefully, by the end of this note, you will realise how unscientific and inaccurate the cholesterol test is.
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