Cholesterol is a form of fat we need. It helps make the outer membranes of our bodies' cells stable. But for decades, doctors have known that people with high total cholesterol levels are more likely ...

Very high levels are even more dangerous than better-known risks for heart-attack and stroke. “In individuals who don’t have heart disease, it seems it is equivalent to having two other modifiable ...

Your doctor hands you a cholesterol report filled with abbreviations and numbers. The test measures four key components that predict the risk of heart disease and stroke. Understanding what these ...

If you are concerned about your risk of developing cardiovascular disease, you’ll usually get a specific blood test to look at your cholesterol levels to see where things stand. At least, that’s how ...

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) --Genetic testing can inform patients if they have an inherited form of high cholesterol and prompt them to have treatment that could help prevent a heart attack, stroke and ...

As with any disease, it’s pretty obvious that preventing heart disease is important. But why? What are the health ramifications of it? Well, they're pretty serious ones—including mortality—and affect ...

New guidelines for managing cholesterol call for more aggressive prevention and earlier treatment, including a recommendation that all adults be tested once for lipoprotein(a), a genetic risk marker ...

For decades, patients were told to skip breakfast—or even go hungry for half a day—before having their cholesterol checked. The idea was that fasting for at least eight hours would help produce more ...

A routine blood test taken by millions in the U.S. each year to measure "bad" cholesterol is not the best measure to guide treatment and prevent heart attacks and strokes, suggests a new Northwestern ...

Doctors say patients should get a lipoprotein(a) test along with other screening, in new guidelines for managing cholesterol. (ER Productions Limited/Digital Vision | Getty Images) New guidelines for ...