How and When to Have Your Cholesterol Checked?

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Getting your cholesterol levels checked is an important part of staying healthy. High cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death in the United States.


Knowing your cholesterol status can help you stay in control of your health. Learn about cholesterol screening and why it is important.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that your body needs to make hormones and digest fats. Your body makes all the cholesterol it needs, but you can also get cholesterol from eating certain foods, such as egg yolks and fatty meats. Having high blood cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, putting you at risk for heart disease and stroke. High blood cholesterol doesn’t have symptoms, which is why getting your cholesterol levels checked is so important.

Learn more about cholesterol screenings.
Older woman and man exercising.

You should get your cholesterol checked at least every 5 years. If you have cardiovascular risk factors, talk with your health care team about getting tested more often.

What age should I get screened for high blood cholesterol?

About 1 in 5 adolescents have an unhealthy cholesterol reading,1 and nearly 93 million U.S. adults age 20 or older have high cholesterol.2 But since high cholesterol doesn’t have symptoms, many people don’t know their levels are high.

Cholesterol should be checked starting early in life—even children and adolescents should have their cholesterol checked.

Cholesterol testing should be done:

  • Every 5 years for people age 20 or older who are at low risk for cardiovascular disease.
  • More frequently than every 5 years for people with cardiovascular disease risk factors.


The 2018 ACC/AHA Guidelines recommend that cholesterol management be based on a person’s lifetime cardiovascular risk.

If your family has a history of early heart attacks or heart disease, or if a child has obesity or diabetes, doctors may recommend screening for high cholesterol more often.

From the CDC. For more information, click here. 

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