Fasting for Lipid Testing: Is It Worth the Trouble?

Abstract

Lipid testing plays a major role in cardiovascular risk stratification and the assessment of lipid responses to clinical interventions. Current guidelines suggest that blood samples for lipid profiles should be obtained after a 9- to 12-hour fast.¹ This requirement is not always practical for patients, who rarely present to health care providers in a fasting state. Patients often expend additional resources to return to a laboratory while fasting, and some may forgo coming back altogether. A report by Sidhu and Naugler in this issue challenges the necessity of fasting before blood collection.²