What should a patient do before undergoing LDL and HDL testing?

Before undergoing LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein) and HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) testing, fasting for 12 hours is recommended. This fasting period allows for more accurate measurement of lipid levels in the blood. When a patient fasts, it helps to minimize the influence of recent food intake on lipid concentrations, particularly triglycerides, which can affect the results and potentially lead to misinterpretation of cholesterol levels.

Fasting ensures that the body is in a baseline state, providing clearer insights into the patient’s lipid profile. While staying hydrated by drinking water is generally a good practice, it does not have the same critical impact on the lipid test results as fasting does. Consuming a high-fat meal prior to testing would complicate the results, leading to an elevation in triglycerides, and medication intake should typically proceed unless otherwise advised by the healthcare provider for specific tests. Thus, fasting is essential for achieving reliable results in LDL and HDL testing.