For years, doctors required eight to 12 hours of fasting before testing cholesterol panels. The thinking was that testing in a fasting state would allow a more accurate and reliable reading due to food’s effect on lipid levels. In this video, learn why fasting isn't always necessary, according to Cardiologists Paul Knoepflmacher, MD, and Rachel Bond, MD.
Rachel Bond, MD, FACC, is a Cardiologist at Dignity Health and served as Associate Director of the Women's Heart Health Program at Northwell Health, Lenox Hill Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine.
Dr. Knoepflmacher is a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where he also maintains a private practice.
References
American Heart Association. (2020). How To Get Your Cholesterol Tested.
Fisher, N. (2016). Farewell to the fasting cholesterol test? Harvard Medical School.
Grundy, S, et al. (2018). 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation.
Harvard Medical School. (2016). Fasting before a cholesterol test.
Mora, S. (2016). Nonfasting for routine lipid testing: from evidence to action. JAMA Internal Medicine;176(7):1005-6.
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