Calculating your cholesterol ratio can provide useful information about your risk for heart disease. According to the American Heart Association, some physicians and cholesterol technicians use the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, or high density lipoprotein, cholesterol in place of the total blood cholesterol. It's actually not your total cholesterol that has the greatest impact on heart disease risk; rather, it is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL that plays a crucial role.
Step 1
See your primary care physician and have them order a lipid panel or profile to check blood cholesterol levels. A lipid panel lab test typically includes total cholesterol, HDL or "good" cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides.
Step 2
Calculate your cholesterol ratio by dividing your HDL cholesterol into your total cholesterol. For example, if your total cholesterol is 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) and your HDL cholesterol is 50 mg/dL, you would divide 200 by 50 to get 4. Your cholesterol ratio would then be 4-to-1. According to the American Heart Association, the goal should be to keep your cholesterol ratio 4-to-1 or lower to decrease the risk of heart disease. A higher ratio indicates a higher risk of heart disease.You want a low ratio of cholesterol to HDL. Another example from HealthCentral.com on how you can calculate your cholesterol to HDL ratio is if total cholesterol is 195 mg/dL and your HDL is 55 mg/dL, take 195 and divide it by 55, which equals a ratio of 3.5. A ratio lower than 4.5 is good, but 2 or 3 is better.
Step 3
Calculate your LDL to HDL ratio. This ratio compares the amount of LDL cholesterol to your HDL cholesterol levels. A ratio of less than 3.5 is favorable but a ratio of 2.5 is more ideal. To calculate your ratio, divide LDL by HDL. For example, your HDL is 55 mg/dL and LDL is 100 mg/dL, so divide 100 by 55 to get a value of 1.8.
Step 4
Calculate your triglyceride to HDL ratio. A low ratio of triglycerides to HDL ideally should be less than 2. To calculate your triglyceride to HDL ratio, divide your triglycerides by your HDL. For example, if your triglyceride level is 200 mg/dL and your HDL is 55 mg/dL divide 200 by 55 to get a ratio of 3.6.
Step 5
Ask your primary care physician to review the results of each component of a lipid profile plus other risk factors or cholesterol ratios to determine whether treatment is necessary and, if so, which treatment will best help you to lower your risk of heart disease.
Tips and Warnings
- According to Lab Tests Online, it is recommended that healthy adults with no other risk factors for heart disease be tested with a fasting lipid profile once every five years. The American Heart Association recommends that all adults age 20 or older should have a cholesterol test once every five years. Ideally, you should begin having your cholesterol checked in your early twenties
- Calculating cholesterol ratios can be helpful in determining heart disease risk, but are not necessarily useful in deciding about treatment options. The American Heart Association recommends using total blood cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels rather than the cholesterol ratio in determining the appropriate treatment for patients.
Things You'll Need
- Pencil and paper
- Calculator
- Lipid panel lab results
