For the study, researchers compared cholesterol testing results of 300,000 people from Denmark, Canada, and the U.S. In both the U.S. and Canada, fasting for eight hours before a test is required. In Denmark, however, it is not.
Patients who are scheduled for a lipid profile test should fast (except for water) for 12-14 hours before the blood sample is drawn. If the patient's cholesterol is to be fractionated, he or she also should avoid alcohol for 24 hours before the test. http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Ato...
If dinner is the last thing you eat for the day, you'll have fasted for 10-12 hours by an early morning lab draw. However, if you're a late-night snacker, you'll have fasted maybe 6-7 hours. Usually, 6 hours is the minimum amount of time in which to perform any fasting test (at a hospital, anyway).f the patient's cholesterol is to be fractionated, he or she also should avoid alcohol for 24 hours before the test. http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Ato... To get accurate results, you should fast for 9 to 12 hours before the test.