What Do These Tests Mean?

Blood Pressure

Is a measurement of your hearts effort of pumping blood around the body. Abnormal readings are usually referred to your GP with your consent.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Is the calculation of height and weight, putting the weight in context of the body frame.

Cholesterol

Is a simple finger prick blood test which gives a result in 3 minutes.

There are two types of cholesterol: High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) good cholesterol. These usually consist of the following food products: low fat, unsaturated spreads, semi and skimmed milk, all fish, cod, plaice, sole and whiting, lean meat, fruit and vegetables, wholegrain varieties of bread, pasta, basmati rice, noodles.

Cardiac Risk Factor (Using QRISK3 Calculator)

QRISK is an algorithm which calculates an individual’s 10-year risk of having a heart attack or stroke. It was developed by doctors and academics and is based on routinely collected data from many thousands of General Practices across the country via the QResearch database. The results also indicate whether lifestyle adjustments or other preventive steps are necessary to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

Best avoided fats: high fat cheese, e.g. stilton, full fat cheese spread, cakes, pastries, pies, doughnuts, crisps, bombay mix, fish in creamy sauce, fatty cuts of meat. Abnormal cholesterol readings are usually referred to your GP with your consent.

Glucose

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future.

Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your blood. For the majority of healthy individuals, normal blood sugar levels are as follows:

Between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L (72 to 99 mg/dL) when fasting Up to 7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL) 2 hours after eating

Resting Heart Rate

Your resting heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you are at rest — such as when you are relaxed, sitting or lying down.

Resting heart rate varies from person to person. Knowing yours can give you an important sign of your heart health. For adults, a normal resting heart rate ranges between 60 and 100 beats a minute. Usually, a lower resting heart rate means your heart is working more efficiently and is more fit. For example, an athlete might have a resting heart rate of around 40 beats a minute.

Waist circumference

Waist circumference is a good measure of fat around your middle. This type of fat builds up around your organs, and is linked to high blood fat levels, high blood pressure and diabetes. A larger waist usually also means there is excess fat inside your organs. When this happens in your liver, for example, it pumps out too much fat and sugar into the blood, increasing your risk of coronary heart disease and diabetes.