Cholesterol testing at the pharmacy is a gamble.

months ago, just out of curiosity, I took a cholesterol test at a local pharmacy.
The pharmacist had turned out a little’ having difficulty with the device that measured the withdrawal, it certainly wasn't something he did often.
However, at the moment I didn't give it any weight, and instead I gave weight to the result of LDL (bad cholesterol) result a little’ alto, and also high triglycerides. Fortunately, the value of the price was also high’ HDL (good cholesterol), I've always had it high even in the past.
The pharmacist didn't advise me to go on a diet, but maybe do more exercise, and commenting how “old” my idea of ​​taking soy lecithin suggested a red yeast rice supplement.

I later spoke to a friend who was also struggling with the “cholesterol” alto, he reassured me by telling me that in reality the values ​​that are borderline today were completely normal until a few years ago, they simply lowered the bar for people to consume more statins, the most recommended drug in these cases. And he told me that while the risk of heart attack and stroke for cholesterol is a little’ high is minimal, he would never have taken either statins or red yeast rice because both are correlated with an increase in that risk, so the overall benefit is negligible.

Over the next three months I tried to do a little’ more movement, I reduced the power a little, especially fatty meats and cheeses, but also sweets because the liver makes cholesterol out of them, fewer evening snacks, but basically I didn't do much, except that of having a drink “Magic potion” which I will talk about in another story.

Last week I took a cholesterol test again, but hoping there was more professionalism, I did it in another pharmacy .
This time the pharmacist carried out the procedure with apparent skill and safety, and returning a few minutes later for the response, he reassured me of the outcome: there was still a little total cholesterol’ alto, because they were a little’ both LDL and HDL are high, but this time the triglycerides were very low.

The pharmacist didn't offer me any supplements, however he advised reducing fatty and red meats, and to do a little more exercise.

All this for 20 Euro.

I enjoyed the outcome of the result for two weeks, but today I went to reread the results to better understand the issue of LDL and HDL.

I have found that an important fact about the general cholesterol situation is the ratio between triglycerides and HDL: the former should not be more than double the latter, that is, the division of the first by the second should not give more than 2 . In my case the two values ​​are even the same, so I'm in range “protected” from heart attack, stroke etc..

However, the high LDL value suggests that there is something to fix in the lifestyle .

But then I realized that on the sheet with the tables of values ​​for comparison given to me by the pharmacist there is a small writing : “Caution – The subject must fast for 9-12 hours before sample collection. If the test is not performed on an empty stomach, only Chol values ​​will be usable, HDL, non-HDL e Chol/HDL“.

In other words, both LDL and triglyceride values ​​are completely useless, and consequently I could be perfectly healthy or even about to have a heart attack.

The fact is that the indications given to me are based on a slightly high cholesterol picture which is not at all safe, so these are indications that could even hurt me.

I conclude that carrying out laboratory tests in pharmacies with inadequately trained staff is a gamble, better to contact specialists.

Unfortunately the pharmacists' lobby in Italy is very powerful, this is demonstrated by the fact that in any European country there are much fewer pharmacies and they are generally more Spartan, dedicated to the sale of care products and not also to the sale of sweets, cosmetics, perfumes, or transformed into centers where beauty treatments and tests are overall risky to believe.

Not to be controversial, but Italy is truly a country of ethically corrupt doctors, we have seen it with the various virologists who today deny having told the lies they told to push people to experiment with mRNA. Not to mention the paediatricians who get a premium for how many children they look after are vaccinated, and many are ruined.