How Much Does A Home Cholesterol Test Cost
While all home cholesterol tests serve a similar purpose, prices vary among test kit companies and higher test costs do not guarantee a more accurate test. In most cases, the accuracy is similar to traditional lab testing and price differences are based on how thorough the test is.
Before ordering a kit, you would want to consider the factors of price and accuracy. A cheap test kit with poor results can result in serious consequences that may lead you to consider treatment for a non-existent disorder. You will always want to see a health care provider to positively diagnose high cholesterol and start treatment. Alternatively, an inaccurate test could also lead you to a false negative and cause you to fail to get treatment for a potential problem.
However, an accurate kit that is expensive may not seem like an excellent option as it defeats the purpose of actually having a cheaper nontraditional test from your home.
This section reviews the prices of some of the top test companies that have an excellent track record of selling accurate test kits.
Everlywell: The EverlyWell at-home cholesterol test costs $49 and measures four biomarkers . As with all EverlyWell test kits, customers with a membership plan can get it for $24.99, which saves them a total of 49% of the initial cost.
Grassrootshealth: The Grassroots health home cholesterol tests kit costs $33 and also tests the four common cholesterol biomarkers.
You can read more about them in our home heart health test article!
What To Look For When Choosing A Cholesterol Test Kit
A person should ask a doctor to help them choose an appropriate cholesterol test kit for them. However, they may also wish to consider the following when looking for a test kit:
- Laboratories: A person should check whether or not a company works with CLIA-certified laboratories. This indicates that they hold federal certifications and meet quality laboratory testing standards.
- Consultations: Many brands offer doctors consultations for people who wish to discuss their results. However, these may only be available to those who receive a positive cholesterol test result.
- Design: Some devices are small, lightweight, and portable. These may be suitable for individuals who travel regularly. Some test kits also come with a travel case.
- Guide: It is best to choose a device that comes with a user guide that explains how individuals should use the test kit. Some brands, such as LetsGetChecked, also provide instructional videos on their website.
- Subscriptions: At-home cholesterol test kits come with a one-time price, but there are also companies that offer subscription plans for people who need to check their cholesterol levels regularly.
The body produces cholesterol naturally. However, cholesterol is also present in some foods, including:
- processed meats
- full fat dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt
- seafood, such as octopus and prawn
Eat Fatty Fish Twice Weekly
Fatty fish is well known for its benefits on heart health and ability to lower blood triglycerides.
This is mostly due to its content of omega-3 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fatty acid that is considered essential, meaning you need to get it through your diet.
Both the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and American Heart Association recommend eating two servings of fatty fish per week to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke .
Whats more, one study showed that eating salmon twice a week significantly decreased blood triglyceride concentration .
Salmon, herring, sardines, tuna, and mackerel are a few types of fish that are especially high in omega-3 fatty acids.
Summary
Fatty fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids. Eating two servings per week may lower triglyceride levels and decrease the risk of heart disease.
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Dogs Are A Very Good Vetting Agency
Rik Ludlow, 67, and his wife, Marianne, 62, both retired from teaching, have been taking in lodgers for more than 15 years.
The couple, who have a six-bedroom house in Nottinghamshire, decided to upsize their property in 2004 in order to open a B& B but soon decided to switch solely to having lodgers because they enjoyed getting to know housemates over a longer period of time.
They have three lodgers at any one time and have made lifelong friends as a result of letting out rooms. From the university student who arrived when she was 18 and was ready to drop out because she was unhappy but ended up staying until graduation and has become like another daughter to the couple from China who worked at the university and had a baby while living with them. They have stayed in touch and view the youngster as another grandchild.
Rik says the most important thing before you agree to take in a lodger is to have them over, sit in your living room with a cup of coffee, and decide if you gel.
We talk through, warts and all, the ins and outs of living in a shared house, especially with two dogs. By then, the dogs will have given us a signal if they like the lodger or they dont dogs are a very good vetting agency.
Make sure they feel totally comfortable with you, and you feel comfortable with them. Also, give them a get-out clause: say you are very happy to let them go after a week or so if the arrangement is not right for them, or if its not right for you.
What Does An At
At-home cholesterol tests can measure the total amount of cholesterol in a blood sample and may also determine the levels of specific kinds of cholesterol.
Cholesterol and other fat-like substances are known as lipids. To travel through the blood, lipids must attach to particles called lipoproteins, which are made up of a mix of proteins and fat.
Cholesterol can attach to different kinds of lipoproteins, and this is a primary way of distinguishing between types of cholesterol. A lipid panel is a kind of cholesterol test that evaluates several types of lipids. The standard components of a lipid panel include:
- Total cholesterol:Total cholesterol is the sum of all types of cholesterol found in a blood sample.
- High-density lipoprotein cholesterol: Also known as good cholesterol,HDL cholesterol contributes to cardiovascular health in several ways, including by reducing the unwanted buildup of cholesterol in arteries.
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: Commonly referred to as bad cholesterol,LDL cholesterol is linked to cardiovascular problems like heart disease and stroke. In most cases, LDL-C is calculated using an equation based on the other measurements in a lipid panel.
- Triglycerides: Triglycerides are another type of fat that have been associated with cardiovascular problems.
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Symptoms Of High Cholesterol
Unfortunately the signs and symptoms of high cholesterol are normally noticeable until a major event, such as a heart attack or stroke, occurs. A heart attack is when blood flow to the heart is stopped while a stroke is the result of insufficient blood supply to the brain. Both of these conditions are medical emergencies that need immediate treatment.
High cholesterol results in the buildup of fat in arteries, which increases the likelihood of experiencing one or both of these events.
What Do The Results Mean
It is important for someone to know their cholesterol levels to make certain lifestyle changes to get to a healthy range. Numbers outside the desired level may mean a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
Additional risk factors, such as smoking and being overweight, also play a role in a persons risk of cardiovascular disease.
The lists the following desired cholesterol levels:
| Total cholesterol |
Food and Drug Administration , home cholesterol tests have an accuracy level similar to doctors tests. But user error can affect the results.
It is essential for people to follow all manufacturers directions to get the most accurate results. The accuracy can also vary from brand to brand. When choosing an at-home cholesterol test, people should check it is affiliated with the CDCs tracking program. This means the test meets the programs standards for accuracy.
People that have cholesterol levels outside the desired ranges should consider talking to their healthcare professional. Different cholesterol values determine what type of treatment plan is most appropriate.
A doctor can recommend lifestyle changes and medications to help manage and lower high cholesterol.
lifestyle changes for high cholesterol include:
- maintaining a moderate weight via a balanced diet and regular exercise
- avoiding tobacco products and smoking
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Can I Monitor Triglyceride Levels At Home
A few products are available to test lipid levels, including triglycerides, at home. There are two types of home testing: those where you collect the sample at home and then mail it away to a laboratory for testing and those where you conduct the test yourself at home . The American Heart Association hasnât taken a position on the use of home testing devices for measuring lipid levels.
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There Could Be An Impact On Benefits
Bear in mind that taking in a lodger can affect the benefits you receive. If you are on housing benefit, for example, the first £20 of weekly income from a lodger is ignored, plus 50% of anything over £20 a week, if you provide food for a lodger.
If you are on universal credit, any rent from a lodger is not treated as income, so it wont affect payments. But you will be subject to the bedroom tax the room the lodger is in will still be counted as spare, meaning you will get a deduction on your housing element.
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Why Monitor Your Cholesterol
When you have your cholesterol levels checked with your doctor and continue to monitor them with a home-test kit, you will know when you may need to take steps, such as exercise, dietary changes, and even medication, to control them. As we mentioned above, high cholesterol levels are not beneficial to your health and can lead to serious trouble, including atherosclerosis , stroke, angina, and heart attack.
How Much Can You Charge
Hapipod asks people to charge between £250 and £350 a month for a room, and in return lodgers agree to eight hours a week for activities, from gardening to shopping, DIY, babysitting, or company for things such as a game of tennis or a trip to the theatre. The help provided has a value of roughly £400 a month based on the hourly minimum wage.
If you are looking only to let a room, do some research by browsing other adverts, on sites such as Gumtree, for the going rate in your local area.
SpareRoom has a rental data index based on what you can charge for a room: at the moment it is an average of £857 a month including bills in London, and £626 in the rest of the UK.
Judy Niner, a co-founder of Monday to Friday, says that if you are letting out a room during the working week only, she recommends charging four- to five-sevenths of a full-time rental. So, for example, if a room in a property such as yours would normally cost £850 a month full-time, offer it at about £500 to £550.
At the moment in particular, also consider adding the cost of bills into the equation.
Lodger landlords more commonly include bills in their rent as it makes things easier and everyone knows where they stand, Hutchinson says.
You can earn up to £7,500 a year, or £625 a month, tax-free as part of the rent a room scheme. Anything above this and you will need to fill out a self-assessment tax return.
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How Long Can You Go Without Food For A Triglyceride Test
Typically for a fasting triglyceride test, youll be asked to go without food for 8 to 10 hours. You can drink water while in a fasting state. Your nonfasting triglyceride levels are typically higher than your fasting levels. They can vary greatly depending on how recently youve consumed dietary fat.
How are triglycerides measured if you are not fasting?
To check for abnormal triglyceride levels in the blood, your doctor will often use a cholesterol test. This test is also called a lipid panel or lipid profile. Triglycerides can be measured after fasting or when youre not fasting. Typically for a fasting triglyceride test, youll be asked to go without food for 8 to 10 hours.
Is There Anything Else I Should Know
If you are diabetic and your blood sugar is out of control, triglycerides may be very high.
Triglycerides change dramatically in response to meals, increasing as much as 5 to 10 times higher than fasting levels just a few hours after eating. Even fasting levels vary considerably day to day. Therefore, modest changes in fasting triglycerides measured on different days are not considered to be abnormal.
Certain drugs such as corticosteroids, protease inhibitors for HIV, beta blockers, and estrogens can increase blood triglyceride levels.
There is increasing interest in measuring triglycerides in people who have not fasted. The reason is that a non-fasting sample may be more representative of the âusualâ circulating level of triglyceride since most of the day blood lipid levels reflect post-meal levels rather than fasting levels. However, it is not yet certain how to interpret non-fasting levels for evaluating risk so, at present, there is no change in the current recommendations for fasting prior to tests for lipid levels.
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Everlywell Cholesterol And Lipids Test Kit
This sample collection kit comes with everything you need to collect samples to send away to be measured for total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. The kit includes what you need to ship it as well. When youve sent it away, the results should be sent to you within the week and uploaded directly to an app, so you can view them from your phone.
Board-certified physicians review all results to ensure they are as accurate as possible. It is also great if you are on a budget, as it retails for approximately $49.
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Is Any Test Preparation Needed To Ensure The Quality Of The Sample
Current standards recommend that testing be done when you are fasting. For 9 to 12 hours before the test, only water is permitted. Your health care practitioner may decide that you may be tested without fasting. Follow any instructions you are given and tell the person drawing your blood whether or not you have fasted. In addition, alcohol should not be consumed for 24 hours just before the test.
Recommended Reading: How To Lower High Triglycerides Without Medication
Best Budget Test: Selfcheck Cholesterol Test Kit
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Budget-friendly price and easy to use
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Provides results quickly in under 5 minutes
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Can incur user error with manual analysis
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Results limited to 5 mmol/L range
In the realm of more basic, manual cholesterol testing kits, SELFCheck is a great option. This single-use test can report your total cholesterol in a matter of three minutes. Its simple to use, known for its accuracy, and it can provide a helpful data point for people who recently began keeping track of their blood cholesterol.
The packet contains a test card, a lancet, and a plaster. Its ideal for adults over the age of 40 seeking a clear indicator of their current cardiovascular health so they can be more proactive with medical interventions that will get them on track and help them stay there. If the test produces a result outside of the 5 mmol/L range, consult with your doctor for a full blood lipid panel and their advice on how to better manage your blood cholesterol.
Price at time of publish: $20
Test Type: Manual cholesterol test | Type of Cholesterol Measured: Total cholesterol | Result Speed: 3 minutes
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Ask Your Doctor About Natural Supplements
Several natural supplements could have the potential to lower blood triglycerides. Always speak with your doctor before starting any supplements, as they can interact with other medications.
Note especially that the Food and Drug Administration does not regulate supplements in the same way as it regulates pharmaceuticals, and supplement quality can vary widely.
Below are a few of the main supplements that have been studied:
- Fish oil. Well known for its potent effects on heart health, fish oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to decrease triglycerides and several other risk factors for heart disease (
Summary
Several supplements have been studied for their ability to lower triglyceride levels, including fish oil, fenugreek, garlic extract, guggul, and curcumin.
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How To Check Cholesterol At Home
Cholesterol and triglyceride testing at home can be done with the Everlywell Cholesterol & Lipids test kit. The mail-in test kit comes with easy to read instructions, lancets for pricking your finger, bandages, a sample collection cassette, and a prepaid shipping label for sending your blood sample to a certified lab.
What Is Being Tested
Triglycerides are a form of fat and a major source of energy for the body. This test measures the amount of triglycerides in the blood.
Most triglycerides are found in fat tissue, but some triglycerides circulate in the blood to provide fuel for muscles to work. After a person eats, an increased level of triglycerides is found in the blood as the body converts the energy not needed right away into fat. Triglycerides move via the blood from the gut to adipose tissue for storage. In between meals, triglycerides are released from fat tissue to be used as an energy source for the body. Most triglycerides are carried in the blood by lipoproteins called very low-density lipoproteins .
High levels of triglycerides in the blood are associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease , although the reason for this is not well understood. Certain factors can contribute to high triglyceride levels and to risk of CVD, including lack of exercise, being overweight, smoking cigarettes, consuming excess alcohol, and having medical conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.
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