HDL cholesterol test

Takes extra cholesterol out of the arteries and back to the liver.

€4.70. You pay at the desk, not online.

• Preparation: Ideally fasting. Water is fine
• Prescription: Not needed
• Results: In the Rosa app, within 10 working days
• Also called: Colesterolo HDL, colesterolo buono

HDL cholesterol test: what it is for

HDL cholesterol is what many people call good cholesterol. It takes extra cholesterol out of your artery walls and carries it back to your liver. A low level is a signal worth understanding, and it often comes with high triglycerides and too little exercise.

Why it is done

HDL makes the opposite trip to LDL. LDL carries cholesterol out to your tissues and, if it stays high for years, leaves it in your arteries. HDL brings some of it back to your liver.

A low HDL is linked to a higher risk for your heart. And it rarely comes alone: high triglycerides, fat around the belly and a body that struggles to use sugar often come with it.

How the HDL cholesterol test is done

It is a blood test, done at a Bianalisi lab without a prescription. You can add other tests to the same draw.

Questions about the HDL cholesterol test.

Do I need to fast for an HDL cholesterol test? For HDL itself, no: a meal changes it very little. But it is measured together with triglycerides, which rise after a meal, so it is best to arrive fasted. You can drink water.

How much does the HDL cholesterol test cost? €4.70, from Bianalisi’s private list for Lombardy. You pay at the desk on the day of the draw, not online.

Do I need a prescription for the HDL cholesterol test? No. You book it here without a prescription and pay at the Bianalisi desk.

When do results arrive? Within 10 working days, in the Rosa app, with each value next to the lab’s interval. The report a doctor approves is in the Rosa membership.