You do NOT need to fast before you have your Lipoprotein Testing!

Most of you ask me if you need to fast before your lipid blood draw. Since we measure Lipoproteins, the answer is no. That is usually followed by the question if it will lead to abnormal Triglyceride levels? Generally, conventional lipid analysis (such as TC and TG levels) is performed using overnight fasted blood samples. However, recent studies have demonstrated that non-fasting and fasting plasma samples show similar lipid profiles, and all these data can be used for prediction of CVD risk. Triglyceride levels reach peak at 4–6 h after food intake. Therefore, people are in a state of non-fasting at most of the times within a day, and non-fasting lipid levels are more representative than those of fasting lipid profiles. I encourage all of you to subscribe to my substack where I write comprehensive articles weekly on many topics. Doc4Heart.substack.com