This ratio is obtained by dividing the total cholesterol reading by the HDL cholesterol reading, and it is advisable to keep this ratio below 5:1, according to research by the Mayo Clinic. The higher this ratio is, the higher your risk of heart disease, so the aim is to have a low ratio. Remember that HDL stands for High Density Lipoproteins, and LDL your Low Density Lipoproteins.
Let’s use an example. Let’s say your High Density Lipoproteins come back from the blood test as 50mg/dl, and your total blood cholesterol is 200mg/dl, then your cholesterol ratio is
total blood cholesterol : HDL = 200 : 50 = 4 : 1
So in this case your cholesterol ratio would be 4 to one. This is below the ratio of 5 : 1 that is used to judge the risk of heart disease, so it is in an acceptable range.
However, although this ratio gives a general indication of the risk of heart disease, it is much better to consider each of the 4 resulting numbers from your cholesterol blood test to decide which treatment is the best for you as a result of these numbers. This is because if your HDL, your high density lipoproteins is too low, then you need to eat a diet that will help you to raise it, whereas if your LDL is too high, then you will be trying to lower this. Your doctor will advise you on what is the right direction for you to go in with regard to your diet, but basically, you need to eat a low cholesterol diet, one low in animal fat, but one that has plenty of fruits and vegetables, fish a few times a week, nuts as a healthy snack, and a diet that uses legumes for protein once or twice a week instead of red meats.
By looking at your actual results for each category of the cholesterol blood test, your doctor will be able to advise you on what treatment is best for you, and your cholesterol ratio will probably not play a part in this decision.
