Cholesterol – Panel Testing, Diet & Medication

Ways to monitor & reduce blood cholesterol levels…Cholesterol testing helps a lot in understanding the on-set cascades of several cardiovascular & degenerative diseases. There are several techniques to monitor & regulate cholesterol levels in serum. These include various non-invasive methods, like Laser cholesterol testing in which a laser is reflected upon patient’s eyes to determine the cholesterol levels, as well techniques like digital panel testing which are widely preferred across the globe.Cholesterol Panel testing involves assessing of cholesterol levels directly from the blood samples taken from the patients and are analyzed on specialized strips, especially designed for the purpose. These strips, with blood samples on them, can either be checked directly on machines or can be sent to labs with proper specifications and credentials.One can opt for dietary therapies and/or various medications in order to lower the cholesterol levels in the blood:• Dietary therapy: In this therapy, diet and lifestyles are modified in order to reduce the intake of cholesterol. These modifications are promoted as a prudent, an inexpensive, and a safe way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular, degenerative & other cholesterol associated diseases.Dietary therapy has multi-facet advantages. A DASH (Dietary Alternatives to Stop Hypertension) study has shown that additional servings of vegetables, fruit, and low-fat dairy products produce belittled but significant reductions in blood pressure. Various reports suggest limiting daily calories from saturated fats to the 7-10% of the total calorific intake. Cholesterol intake should be limited to 200 to 300 mg per day.Dietary therapy has been the primary treatment for hypercholesterolemia because of low risk of side effects, high benefits.• Medication/Drug therapy: Various medicines or counter-drugs are available in the market which can be used for reducing the blood cholesterol levels. One such drug is Statin, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl, a laboratory synthesized chemical, which dissembles the coenzymeA reductase class of cholesterol reducing compounds. These drugs are quite in vogue but they do have some side effects.Drug therapies are reported to have more profound effects than to dietary therapy. A 24% reduction in LDL has been observed by drug therapies where as only a 6% reduction has been reported in case of dietary therapies.Evidently, periodic testing helps in timely detection of diseases & helps us to take appropriate measures to nab the bud in the root. So, even if you believe that you don’t have any disease, keep yourself monitored, for just in case…