This is your diastolic number that represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats. Blood tests Your doctor may order a battery of tests to accurately diagnose the problem. Testing your body's cholesterol level is a good way to find out if you are at increased risk for heart disease. The higher your blood cholesterol level, the more likely that fats and cholesterol will build up in your artery walls, thereby narrowing the arteries and slowing the blood flow. Over time, these build-ups can clog arteries and lead to a heart disease.
Cholesterol tests are widely available, inexpensive and risk-free.
A health care professional will simply take a small sample of blood and either analyze it at the screening site or send it to a lab. Usually, in order to be as accurate as possible, your physician may require you to fast overnight in order to control for fat from foods recently consumed. A total cholesterol level of less than 200 is desirable. If your cholesterol is between 200 and 239, you are in the borderline high risk group for heart disease. If your cholesterol level is 240 or more, you are considered to be at high risk for heart disease.