Blood Taken & Analysed

Everybody who came to the clinic had their blood taken and analysed at a laboratory.

The results helped the doctors at the clinic assess each person at the health check.

TV Show production worked with phlebotomist Linda O’Connor and her company Bloodworks to process the testing
www.bloodworks.ie 

Cholesterol

A good example of tests carried out and one that was discussed a lot in the series is cholesterol. This is how the NHS outline a cholesterol blood test.

A cholesterol test can measure:

• total cholesterol – the overall amount of cholesterol in your blood, including both "good" and "bad" cholesterol
• total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio (TC:HDL) – the level of good cholesterol in your blood compared to your overall cholesterol level
• good cholesterol (called HDL) – this makes you less likely to have heart problems or a stroke
• bad cholesterol (called LDL and non-HDL) – this makes you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke
• triglycerides – a fatty substance similar to bad cholesterol

This is just a guide. The levels you should aim for might be different. Ask your doctor or nurse what your levels should be.

Healthy levels for different types of cholesterol.

• Result Healthy level (mmol/L)
• Total cholesterol 5 or below
• HDL (good cholesterol) 1 or above
• Non-HDL (bad cholesterol) 4 or below
• Fasting triglycerides (when you're asked not to eat for several hours before the test) 1.7 or below
• Non-fasting triglycerides (when you eat as normal before the test) 2.3 or below
• Total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio 6 or below
  
  

Take a look at other blood tests carried out