Non-invasive cholesterol assessment: current methods and future perspectives

Cholesterol plays a vital role in human physiology. However, elevated levels of cholesterol in the blood affect the functioning of vital organs that are prone to various diseases. Therefore, identifying cholesterol and maintaining it beyond the threshold values is required. However, traditional invasive methods are cumbersome and potentially harmful. This review focuses on non-invasive cholesterol assessment, with particular emphasis on optical spectroscopy and imaging techniques that enable cholesterol estimation without biofluid extraction. This review examines the recent advancements in optical and non-optical cholesterol monitoring techniques, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Non-optical approaches offer cost-effective solutions for point-of-care testing, while considering the sensitivity and real-time capabilities, optical methods like Raman and Infrared spectroscopy have demonstrated significant advancements. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in accuracy, biological variability, and user accessibility, which are some of the constraints noted in different optical approaches. Developing robust, reliable measuring systems through ongoing research is essential for disease detection due to cholesterol. This paper aims to guide prospective research efforts towards innovative portable devices for effective cholesterol management.