Nonfasting lipid analysis is acceptable for two analytes. Which pair are these two?

• A. Total Cholesterol and HDL-C
• B. LDL-C and VLDL
• C. Triglycerides and LDL-C
• D. HDL-C and Triglycerides

Answer: (A)

Nonfasting lipid testing can reliably report two measurements because they can be determined directly and aren’t significantly affected by a recent meal. Total cholesterol is measured with a direct enzymatic assay that sums cholesterol in all lipoproteins, so it remains valid without fasting. HDL-C is also measured directly (often by a method that isolates or specifically assesses HDL particles), so it doesn’t rely on triglyceride levels or the fasting state. The other measurements depend on how long it’s been since a meal: triglycerides rise after eating, which skews calculations like LDL-C that use a formula involving triglycerides (the common equation estimates LDL-C from total cholesterol, HDL-C, and TG). Since those calculations become unreliable nonfasting, they aren’t typically reported without fasting. That’s why total cholesterol and HDL-C are the pair suitable for nonfasting analysis.