Non-fasting serum cholesterol levels

[OMC__0]

  On several occasions during a checkup my doctor has included a blood test for serum cholesterol level.  This test is incidental to a couple of other procedures, and I have NOT been fasting beforehand, as I believe is required for the standard cholestorol check.
  Although my doctor clearly knows and points out that these are not fasting numbers, he appears to think that the relationship between non-fasting and fasting levels is predictable, and that valid conclusions can be drawn.  This would be true if there is a regular and predictable correlation between non-fasting and fasting levels, but I wonder if this is in fact the case.
  What is the relationshp between fasting and non-fasting levels?  How predictable is this correlation?  Can valid observations be made based on non-fasting levels?
  Thank you
Dear OMC
If your non-fasting serum cholesterol is entirely normal, then there would be no need to measure the fasting cholesterol. If you non-fasting cholesterol is not normal, then a fasting cholesterol panel (total cholesterol, good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, triglycerides) should be measured.
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