Nonfasting Lipid Profiles: The Way of the Future

Most of us are familiar with the link between elevated concentrations of lipids in our blood and an increased risk for cardiovascular disease which is responsible for about 500,000 deaths each year in the United States. It has been common practice to measure those lipids only after a period of fasting. This practice was put in place because of the known increases in triglycerides that can occur after eating; however, fasting lipid profiles have not actually been shown to be superior to nonfasting lipid profiles in assessing the risk for cardiovascular disease.