You can now add a free health check to your weekly shop thanks to a Bishop Auckland supermarket.
Colleagues at Sainsbury’s pharmacy are offering free cholesterol tests to customers at the store.
For three weeks from 23rd January, specially trained staff will carry out a simple blood test on shoppers, which provides instant results.
Shermiza, one of the pharmacists in the supermarket, believes people are put off having their cholesterol checked, thinking that because they feel healthy, everything must be ok.
She said, “Cholesterol only becomes a problem when levels are high in the body. This leads to hardening and thickening in the arteries which is a leading cause of heart attacks”
“The test is simple and gives immediate results, but we will also give lifestyle advice to everyone in order to reduce fats in their diets.
However, for those who have a high reading, diets alone will not help, so we refer them to their GP to begin medication”.
The cholesterol test also checks the subject’s glucose level – which can be an early indicator of diabetes – at the same time.
Carol and Ken Mullen of Lavender Drive were two of the first people to take the test and were pleased to hear that they were in good overall health.
Everyone that takes the test will also receive 100 Nectar points.
Bishop Auckland's local community newspaper.
