Understanding Your Cholesterol Ratio: A Comprehensive Guide

With 17 percent of America affected by high cholesterol, it is important to understand what these numbers mean and how they affect you. Cholesterol ratio is important because a good ratio can help a high cholesterol number by using the positive effects of HDL against the negative affects of LDL.

Total Cholesterol

• The American Heart Association recommends total cholesterol to be less than 200 mg/dl. A measurement between 200-239 mg/dl is borderline high, and above 240 mg/dl is very high.

LDL and HDL

• LDL readings less then 100 mg/dl is optimal, 100-129 mg/dl is above normal, 130-159 mg/dl is borderline high, 160-189 mg/dl is borderline high and above 190 is high. HDL levels for women should be no less than 50 mg/dl, while men should have no less than 40 mg/dl.

HDL to Total Cholesterol

• There are three different ratios to observe when looking at cholesterol. One is total Cholesterol to HDL. The optimal ratio here is 3.5 to 1, with 5 to 1 being the highest the number should go.

HDL to LDL

• The second ratio to look at is HDL to LDL. This can be calculated by dividing LDL into HDL. The optimal ratio here is 1 to 0.3.

LDL to HDL

• The final ratio is LDL to HDL, which is calculated by dividing HDL into LDL. The optimal ratio for LDL to HDL is 2.5 to 1, with 3.5 to 1 being the highest acceptable ratio.