An ideal rate of LDL to HDL cholesterol levels provides the least risk for cardiovascular disease. More than 100 million adults in the United States have high cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these people have levels high enough to put them at risk for developing heart disease. Learning how to calculate this ratio to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease can help you monitor your health.
Anatomy
Your body needs LDL and HDL cholesterol, and the body has natural mechanisms to keep an ideal ratio of LDL and HDL. Cholesterol is a lipid, which is a type of fat-like substance. Your liver makes most of the cholesterol in your body, and you consume the rest in the food you eat. Cholesterol is essential to cell development, manufacture of bile acids and hormones, and metabolizing vitamins. Blood transports cholesterol to the cells of the body, but because cholesterol is a lipid, it does not dissolve well into watery blood plasma. Your body overcomes this by packaging cholesterol with lipoproteins, which have a special coating that allows them to move through the bloodstream.
LDL
Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, carries cholesterol from the gut to awaiting cells throughout the body, including the cells that line the walls of blood vessels like the arteries. Excess cholesterol builds up in the bloodstream, accumulating inside blood vessels and causing heart disease. The accumulation injures arteries and prevents blood from flowing efficiently to vital organs like the brain or heart. High levels of LDL are associated with heart disease.
HDL
High-density lipoproteins, or HDL, scrape excess cholesterol and transports it to the liver where it is processed and eliminated with other body wastes. HDL carries 1/3 to 1/4 of the cholesterol in the blood, according to the American Heart Association. High levels of HDL are best because HDL reduces the amount of unhealthy types of cholesterol.
Levels
A blood test measures HDL and LDL levels. LDL measurements of 100 mg/dL or less are associated with low risk for heart disease. The optimal level for HDL is over 60 mg/dL.
Ratio
Some health professionals prefer to use an HDL to LDL ratio to measure risk for heart disease. To calculate LDL to HDL ratio, divide LDL into HDL. In other words, if HDL is 50 and LDL is 150, the LDL to HDL ratio would be 0.33. You should aim for 0.3 for minimal heart protection. A value of 0.4 is an ideal ratio of LDL to HDL.
