You hear an interview with doctor Christine Erickson, who’s talking about her research supporting non fasting lipid blood tests for cholesterol. Listen to the audio as many times as you would require to understand it completely and write the missing words against correct numbers.

Hello and welcome to the Health Research roundup.

For decades, people have been asked to (1) …………………… before they have blood tests to check (2) …………………… levels. However, a new research report from an international group of experts suggests that this is not necessary. To discuss this research, my guest today is Christine Erickson from Copenhagen University Hospital, who is a (3) …………………… of the study. Christine, welcome.

Thank you very much.

So why did we ever ask people to fast for blood lipids for your blood fats?

Well, if you ask me, I don’t really know, (4) …………………… that’s what we’ve been doing for so many years. I really tried to read the (5) …………………… and find some very scientific evidence supporting that it is superior to just taking a (6) …………………… non fasting blood sample as we do now. And I had problems finding the (7) …………………… . There’s a lot of arguments people (8) …………………… for why you should use fasting (9) …………………… non fasting, but really solid evidence that it is better. I can’t find it.

So was this a tradition rather than science?

I think so, yes. I mean, you can ask me why it started. I think that some of the early studies, the original (10) …………………… way back said that they used (11) …………………… and therefore everybody thought you had to do that without really thinking why. But those (12) …………………… may have had good reason to do it that way. But there’s nothing I’ve seen that said it had to be done that way. And there’s all this evidence now from Canada and the US. Two excellent studies, one in (13) …………………… and one in adults. And then we have a lot of studies from Copenhagen and they all show that when you just look at people that (14) …………………… whatever they usually do, and you take a (15) …………………… , cholesterol, triglycerides, a very common fat in the blood, then they don’t really change very much (16) …………………… when you have been eating.

So there is a difference?

Yeah, the difference is in (17) …………………… per litre, so it goes up by about 0.3 mmol per litre. However, in (18) ……………………, when you look at triglycerides, you’re interested in whether it increases one or two millimoles, not 0.3 mmol. So that’s what’s (19) …………………… .

And even with a (20) ……………………, that’s not going to make the (21) …………………… whether or not they put you on medication.

Yeah, that’s right. We provide (22) …………………… in this report where we did (23) …………………… and after fasting and in about 6000 people, and the correlation between the two methods was – I can’t see the difference. It looks exactly the same.

So you moved over in (23) …………………… to this official recommendation about seven years ago. So what’s happened since then? Have there been any issues because of (24) …………………… cholesterol levels?

No, everybody was happy right away. Even the (25) …………………… that didn’t change right away. They were pushed by patients because there were reports in the (26) …………………… telling them that at Copenhagen University Hospital, we’re doing non fasting. So everyone wanted to do it. And I can say today, patients, (27) ……………………, laboratories, everyone’s happy. Everyone likes it because it’s so much (28) …………………… .

And patients like it because they can go when it suits them to the (29) …………………… , so they’re more likely to turn up for their blood tests?

Yes, of course, I don’t have fantastic good numbers for you, but certainly you hear from so many (30) …………………… that people don’t go to have their (31) …………………… because it’s so complicated to fast, and then they have to go to work to have an important (32) …………………… , and they can’t do this in the morning. But now, doing a (33) …………………… , you can come whenever it suits you.

And very briefly, is there any (34) …………………… where you should have a fasting blood fat level done?

Well, this recommendation, it’s 21 world experts, many from Europe, the US, and one from Australia. And of course, when you have so many (35) …………………… , there’s always someone that thinks there’s certain situations. We list a few where you can do, for example, for patients with diabetes, the fasting requirements might be an important (36) …………………… because of problems with (37) …………………… . But if you ask me way down in my heart, is it necessary? I don’t really think so.

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