The components measured in the lipid profile get altered with meals, and they keep going up and down depending on the extent of intake, absorption, individual metabolism etc. Hence these values get very difficult to interpret as the cut off values then become meaningless. In order to achieve a standardization, a 14 hr fast is advised. Even though it is not physiological, based on a large number of studies it has been possible to interpret the implications of the values more precisely. In some cases a shorter fast may not achieve the same results.