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...
fasting before a blood test is typically required for fasting glucose fasting lipid panel fasting metabolic panel fasting cholesterol hdl or triglyceride tests these tests look for cholesterol and glucose levels in your blood and any food consumed before the test will provide an inaccurate reading