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Type 2 Why Are Fasting Blood Tests No Longer Needed?

Pink&Perky

Pink&Perky

Member
Messages
11
Location
Derbyshire UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
cold, wet and windy weather, feeling grubby, TV shows that are sickly and over-emotional, reality shows of any kind
I just received the summons to go get my yearly blood and urine test.

The paperwork this time says "this blood test no longer needs to be a fasting one" - to which I shout hallelujah, because I hate not having anything to eat or drink except water until usually well past 11am, since the Clinic always has hundreds of people waiting.

The letter was a standard one, not just to me. I am wondering if this is nationwide or just my locality? Have blood tests for some reason changed, so that they no longer have to be fasting ones? What are your experiences, and does anyone know WHY.
 
I've never had a fasting test in 7 years - you don't need to fast for a Hbac1 but sometimes your surgery does fasting tests for cholesterol- mine doesn't
 
Avocado Sevenfold said:
The cholesterol test should be fasted. The hba1c can be any time of day.
Click to expand...
I agree about he cholesterol test but my surgery doesn't do fasting tests as a default - you have to request it and have a valid reason - it's the lab they use apparently??? - I always book a morning app and fast anyway - ridiculous isn't it?
 
Everyone is right. HbA1c does not require fasting but a full lipid panel does if it includes triglycerides, although it seems common place now for surgeries to do this as non-fasting. What I do is ask for an early appointment at the blood clinic and fast for it. I tell the vampire nurse I have fasted and sometimes she alters the label on the vials, sometimes she says it doesn't matter. I just shrug. I know I have fasted and that my triglyceride results will not be skewed by what I have recently eaten.
 
Pink&Perky said:
I just received the summons to go get my yearly blood and urine test.

The paperwork this time says "this blood test no longer needs to be a fasting one" - to which I shout hallelujah, because I hate not having anything to eat or drink except water until usually well past 11am, since the Clinic always has hundreds of people waiting.

The letter was a standard one, not just to me. I am wondering if this is nationwide or just my locality? Have blood tests for some reason changed, so that they no longer have to be fasting ones? What are your experiences, and does anyone know WHY.
Click to expand...
Mine was a fasting one; then it was changed to random with no reason given; now it's a fasting one again
 
Hi. Nationally it's now non-fasting. For a full cholesterol breakdown, fasting is best. Another reason for the NHS to do fasting tests was to measure your fasting blood sugar, but as that was a pointless measure it has been stopped. Like @Bluetit1802, I had my recent blood test done as a fasting test (my decision) so I know my lipids results will be more reliable.
 
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