Your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol to make cell membranes, bile and hormones. Your liver makes some of this cholesterol, and the rest comes from the foods you eat. If you have high levels of cholesterol in your blood, your risk of having a heart attack or stroke increases. Because different kinds of cholesterol affect your health differently, doctors use your cholesterol ratios as one factor in determining your cardiovascular health.
Lipoproteins
Cholesterol does not travel in your blood on its own. Instead, cholesterol is combined with special proteins and other lipids to form lipoproteins. One kind of lipoprotein, known as LDL or low-density lipoprotein, increases your risk of developing atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the result of cholesterol accumulating in your arterial walls, which increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Another type of lipoprotein, HDL or high-density lipoprotein, reduces your risk of atherosclerosis, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute explains.
LDL-to-HDL Ratio
Your LDL-to-HDL ratio is a way of looking at the relative levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol, also known as bad and good cholesterol. Your ratio is measured by comparing your LDL blood concentration to your HDL blood concentration. A good LDL-to-HDL ratio is 3.5-to-1, with an ideal ratio being 2.5-to-1, EMedTV reports. Although these ratios are important, many doctors believe it is more important to consider your absolute cholesterol numbers rather than your ratios.
Cholesterol Measurements
If your LDL-to-HDL ratio is too high, your doctor will also look at your individual cholesterol numbers. For example, a high level of LDL cholesterol is anything above 160 mg/dL of blood, Lab Tests Online notes, with borderline high defined as between 130 and 159. For HDL cholesterol, ideal levels are above 60 mg/dL of blood. On average, women have HDL between 50 and 59 mg/dL, and men have values between 40 and 49. If you have very high LDL numbers or low HDL numbers along with a poor ratio, you will need to take steps to improve your cholesterol profile.
Improving Your Ratios
If you have a high LDL-to-HDL ratio, you can improve this number by some combination of lowering your LDL levels and increasing your HDL levels. Smoking and consuming trans fats will lower your HDL levels, so avoid tobacco and eat fewer processed foods, stick forms of margarine and commercial baked goods. You can also improve your ratio by losing excess weight, eating less saturated fat and cholesterol and getting more exercise. If your LDL- to-HDL ratio is still high with these lifestyle changes, your doctor may prescribe medications to improve your cholesterol profile.
