Although cholesterol is an important indicator of heart health, we need to view it in the wider picture of our lifestyles, says Dr Mel Bates, spokesman for the Irish College of General Practitioners.
"This is about the risk of future heart attack or stroke, and cholesterol is just one part of that risk. While it's terribly important, it's not as important as smoking and it doesn't tend to affect very young people," he says.
He suggests having a cholesterol test before the age of 40 and following the advice of your GP, who will also take account of lifestyle choices such as smoking, and other risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes or family history of premature heart attacks.
In rare cases, such screens will turn up an inherited problem with cholesterol, and drugs such as statins may be needed.
For most of us though, when it comes to blood cholesterol tests, we are told the magic number to aim for is five or below. And more important is the ratio within that total of protective HDL cholesterol to the artery-furring LDL or bad cholesterol. But we should try not to get too hung up on the numbers in isolation, says Bates, who endorses the message about healthy diet and exercise to improve heart health.
"I have people coming in worried about 5.5 or six and I take note and discuss. But while cholesterol is very important, if you have an otherwise reasonably healthy lifestyle and you are not smoking or drinking to excess and you are well, then it's something to pay respect to, but not be frightened by," he says.
