The test for cholesterol without the fasting.

PEOPLE having a cholesterol test do not need to stop eating beforehand, claim researchers.

Doctors usually ask patients not to eat for 12 hours before having cholesterol and other blood fats measured because of concerns that digestion would throw off the findings.

But a study backed by the British Heart Foundation shows test results are unaffected by eating beforehand.

In fact, results from people who had eaten could be a better prediction of the risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the future, claim researchers at Cambridge University.

Their findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that tests on patients who had not fasted predicted heart disease risk just as well as tests on those who avoided eating.

Some experts say tests for blood proteins called apolipoproteins should replace the tests for cholesterol.

But Professor Peter Weissberg, of the foundation, said: 'Given the financial pressure the NHS is under, it's good news that doctors don't need to spend money on more sophisticated tests based on apolipoproteins.'