Total Cholesterol explained

The sum of the cholesterol carried in every kind of particle, good and bad. It is the number most people mean when they say their cholesterol, and the one a doctor relies on least — because the same total can be made up of very different amounts of LDL and HDL, and it is the split that carries the risk. It can mislead in both directions: A high total driven by high HDL is a different situation from the same total driven by high LDL, and the advice differs completely.

Fasting: Not strictly required, but taken with the fasting lipid profile. Best time: Morning, with the rest of the panel. Avoid beforehand: Alcohol for 24 hours.

Commonly: diet and weight, over months rather than days; familial high cholesterol, inherited rather than dietary; an underactive thyroid, which raises it until treated; pregnancy, which raises it normally; steroid medicines. A single result is not a diagnosis. Values are read against the laboratory's own reference range and alongside your history, your symptoms and the rest of the panel — which is why every package includes a doctor to go through them with you.

At Smart Care Polyclinic, 29 Doha Centre, Al Maktoum Rd, Deira, Dubai. Walk in during opening hours or call +971 (0)4 379 3562.