You’ve been given a form by your doctor for a blood test. Now to organise a morning to get to the pathology collection and remember not to have breakfast or your morning coffee, right? Not so fast.
Firstly, if your doctor has instructed you to fast, then please follow their instructions.
However, most blood tests these days can be done without fasting. General cholesterol/lipid checks, kidney/liver function and tests for diabetes (Hba1c) do not require fasting. Checking your iron stores (ferritin) also is not affected by fasting.
There are certain tests which require fasting, such as full iron studies, folate levels and triglycerides – but these are not routine tests and your doctor will specify if you require fasting.
If you don’t require fasting, then you can take your time in the morning, have some breakfast and come in a bit later for your blood test – it’s usually less busy later in the morning at pathology collection centres.