How to Calculate HDL Ratio

Cholesterol is a chemical compound that naturally occurs in the body. Excess cholesterol in the blood, however, may clog, narrow or even block arteries. Thus, a high cholesterol level is a major risk factor for a heart disease and stroke. The cholesterol associated with those risks is called ̶0;bad̶1; cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). ̶0;Good̶1; cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein or HDL, helps to metabolize the excess of the substance. Calculating the ratio between the ̶0;good̶1; and ̶0;bad̶1; cholesterol allows you to estimate your risk level.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

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Instructions

• 1

  Get your blood test results or obtain cholesterol data from your chart or physician. The cholesterol level is given in milligrams per 100 milliliters (1 deciliter) of blood, or mg/dL.

• 2

  Look for the LDL ("bad") cholesterol value in the report. For instance, say that the LDL equals 150 mg/dL.

• 3

  Find the HDL ("good") cholesterol value. As an example, your good cholesterol, HDL, is 90 mg/dL.

• 4

  Divide the HDL value by the LDL level to obtain the ratio. For the numbers in the example, the HDL/LDL ratio is 90 / 150 = 0.6.

• 5

  Analyze the HDL/LDL ratio; the values below 0.3 represent a risk factor for heart diseases, while values above 0.4 are optimally good.