Safescreen Home Test Kits

Cholesterol can cause narrowing of the blood vessels leading to angina, heart disease and strokes. According to the British Heart Foundation, very few people are concerned about the dangers of having high cholesterol or even monitor their cholesterol levels. Yet research suggests that everyone over the age of 40 should have their cholesterol levels checked annually.

With SafeScreen’s home cholesterol test, blood from a simple pinprick to your fingertip, allows you to monitor your cholesterol levels yourself without the need for a doctor’s appointment.

Symptoms of high cholesterol

It is impossible to know whether your cholesterol levels are high without first doing a simple cholesterol blood test. However, you may show signs of having high cholesterol levels if you have any of the following indications:

• Leg pain during exercise (even walking). This may be due to atherosclerosis in the arteries that supply the lower limbs
• Small yellow lumps on the eyelids and/or tendons of the hands and knees
• A white ring may appear on the cornea of the eye

You will also be at a higher risk if:

• You are a smoker. Smokers are 8 times more likely than non-smokers to suffer from a heart attack
• You are overweight
• You suffer from diabetes
• Any close family members have suffered a heart attack before their fifties
• You don’t exercise regularly
• You have high blood pressure
• You suffer from stress

If your lifestyle fits the list, you should consider using a home cholesterol test. Checking and monitoring your cholesterol levels can help you make small changes to your lifestyle, reducing your chances of suffering from cholesterol related illnesses.

A high cholesterol level does not mean that you have a disease, but it is linked to other serious conditions such as:

• Angina (narrowing  of the arteries in the heart)
• Atherosclerosis (clogged arteries)
• Blood clots, sometimes resulting in a stroke
• Heart failure, caused by a blockage of the blood vessels supplying the heart, due to fatty deposits

Cholesterol facts

Cholesterol is a soft waxy like substance and an essential body fat. However, too much of it can be bad for your health.  Cholesterol comes from 2 sources: your own body and the food you eat. Around 70% of Cholesterol is produced by your liver and is used in forming cell membranes and other tissues throughout your body. The rest is dietary cholesterol from meat, fish, poultry, and dairy products, especially egg yolks.

Cholesterol is not water-soluble and so must bind to special proteins, forming a lipoprotein, before it can be carried around your bloodstream. There are 2 main types of lipoprotein: low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL).
 
• High Density Lipoproteins (HDL) are known as “good cholesterol” because they are needed for maintaining the health of the heart and preventing the narrowing of the arteries by keeping “bad” cholesterol away from the arteries and sending it back to the liver where it is eliminated.
 
• Low density lipoproteins (LDL) is known as “bad” cholesterol. It carries the majority of the cholesterol around your bloodstream. If there is too much LDL in the blood, it can easily stick to arterial walls, consequently restricting blood flow to the heart. This is the leading cause of heart disease in the Western world.

In normal circumstances, your body maintains a balance between the HDL and LDL forms of cholesterol in your body. Problems can arise when we eat too much fatty food, upsetting this balance. When this happens, your body cannot get rid of enough “bad” cholesterol.
What is the normal cholesterol range?

Cholesterol in the body ranges from 3.6 to 7.8 mmol/litre. A typical level for men is 5.5, whereas for women the average level is 5.6. Government health department advice recommends a target cholesterol level of under 5 for both sexes. A level above 6 is regarded as high and means you are considered to be at risk of arterial disease.

How can I reduce my cholesterol levels? 

The best way to lower cholesterol levels in your body is by eating a healthy, well- balanced diet that is low in animal fats. Try switching from frying to grilling your food and using vegetable oil. Eating more of the following healthy food options will help to lower your cholesterol levels:

• Chicken and turkey
• All oily fish such as; Sardines, trout, salmon, mackerel and pilchards
• Mono and poly-unsaturated spreads
• Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk
• Wholegrain bread
• Wholemeal pasta and rice
• Garlic (raw if possible)
• Low fat yoghurt
• Fruit and vegetables - remember 5 portions a day
• Pulses such as lentils, kidney beans, butter beans
• Sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds

It is best to try to avoid or reduce fatty foods such as:

• Fried foods
• White flour, as found in cakes, white bread biscuits, pies and pastries
• Red meats, although the fat can be taken off
• Very fatty meats such as goose, duck and sausages
• butter, cheese, cream, full fat milk

Losing weight, giving up smoking and exercising regularly will also help reduce your levels of bad cholesterol.

Lowering cholesterol levels

After performing a home cholesterol test and if your cholesterol levels are high, the first stage of treatment is to go on a low-fat diet and take regular exercise. If, after a few months, cholesterol levels have not dropped, then cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins should be considered after consultation with your doctor.

Home cholesterol testing

A home cholesterol test can be performed easily by following the step by step instructions. All that is required is a pinprick of blood that is placed onto the test kit. This home test kit measures both ldl cholesterol and hdl cholesterol and will give you accurate results in minutes. Some home cholesterol test kits do not measure both hdl and ldl cholesterol levels, and do not provide an accurate reading, SafeScreen’s home cholesterol test measures “Total” cholesterol

Delivery

All our home test kits are delivered from stock and posted the same day. Every home test kit is delivered discretely, in a plain box with no branding or indication of the contents ensuring your complete privacy.

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