Rated as the top hospital in Kansas and Kansas City, we provide world-class patient care and are a destination center for complex care and diagnosis.
Through world-class research and exceptional patient care, our NCI-designated cancer center is working toward a world without cancer.
Serving Kansas through excellence in education, research and community engagement; KU Medical Center operates the Schools of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions.
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Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in all parts of your body. It helps form cell membranes and helps your body make some hormones and vitamin D. Excess cholesterol can build up in the arteries, narrowing them and slowing or blocking blood flow to the heart, brain, and other organs.
Depending on your results your doctor may tell you to have the test more often. They may also advise making changes to things you can control (modifiable risk factors) such as eating a healthy diet, losing weight, stopping smoking, and getting more exercise. The best blood test to check cholesterol is a lipoprotein profile. This is done after you fast for 9 to 12 hours. A lipoprotein is a substance in the blood that carries cholesterol and other fats to the body's cells. The most important lipoproteins are: