Medichecks JD Gyms PT Handbook

Cholesterol Tests
Cardiovascular health Weight gain Heart disease risk
What do we test?
• Along with diabetes this is the other big one. High cholesterol can cause
very serious conditions indeed, but can be counteracted with exercise and
diet.
• Triglycerides
• Essentially fat. High levels can cause heart disease and can also cause a
serious condition called pancreatitis. It is important to try to keep your
triglyceride levels low.
• Cholesterol levels (HDL, LDL, non-HDL). There are two main types of
cholesterol:
• Good cholesterol = HDL. This is protective against heart disease.
• Bad cholesterol = LDL. High levels of this can cause heart disease.
• Non-HDL Cholesterol = your total cholesterol minus your HDL. Normally
this is roughly your LDL level, but some people also have some other
cholesterol molecules, in addition to LDL, which can be “bad”.
What are we looking for?
We are trying to keep people safe by picking up on high fat levels before they
go on to cause cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes and clogged
arteries).
High triglyceride levels will warrant a trip to the GP.
We look-out for high levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol as well as the balance
between bad (LDL) and good (HDL) to estimate their risk of cardiovascular
disease. If it is high, we will ask them to visit the QRisk website and answer
some more questions such as their age, their sex, their blood pressure and a
few other things. If their risk is high, they’ll see their GP and hopefully work
with you to lower their risk factors.
How does it help me?
1 = results driven personal training
2 = lifestyle advice
Results driven training
Diet and exercise can make dramatic changes to cholesterol levels. As with the
diabetes checks, if you can help your client improve their levels you can help
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