Total Cholesterol Blood Test

This test measures the total concentration of cholesterol in your serum, in milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). It counts the cholesterol carried in all lipoprotein particles together, mainly LDL and HDL. It does not break that total down: to see how much is LDL versus HDL, and to measure triglycerides, you need a lipid panel or the individual HDL and triglyceride tests.

People who want to re-check a total cholesterol result, track it after diet, exercise or weight changes, or follow a number their clinician is watching. MedlinePlus advises cholesterol testing every 5 years for most adults aged 20 to 65, every 1 to 2 years for men 45 to 65 and women 55 to 65, and yearly after 65, with more frequent testing for people with a family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking or excess weight. For a first or routine screening, the full lipid panel is the more informative choice.

Any time of day. Repeat testing is most meaningful several weeks to a few months after a change in diet, activity or weight, or on the schedule your clinician recommends. If you are also ordering a separate triglycerides test on the same order, plan a morning draw after a 9-12 hour fast (see preparation).

Quest reports total cholesterol in mg/dL, with a reference range of under 200 mg/dL for adults 20 and older and under 170 mg/dL for those under 20. A result above that range suggests higher cholesterol, most often from high LDL, which can come from genetics (such as familial hypercholesterolemia), a diet high in saturated fat, inactivity, excess weight or smoking; it can also reflect thyroid or liver conditions. Because total cholesterol includes HDL, a moderately high total in someone with a high HDL can mean something different from the same number driven by LDL. Your overall risk depends on more than one number, so review your result with a clinician, ideally alongside a full lipid panel. JustLabs results are informational and do not replace medical care.