Blood Cholesterol Ratio and Cardiovascular Risk

The HDL to LDL ratio and total cholesterol to HDL ratio are more relevant compared to simply analyzing total blood cholesterol level in terms of diagnosing the possible risk for coronary heart disease, heart attack, arteriosclerosis, and other cardiovascular disorder. For instance, if somebody has an LDL to HDL ratio of less than 2:5, that implies they have a lowered risk of such diseases. If the ratio is higher than 3, it may be an indicator for possible complications.

On the other hand, total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio is beneficial in analyzing probable risk for atherosclerosis. The best defined ratio is lower than 4:1. As a matter of fact, some health practitioners recommend using total cholesterol to HDL ratio instead of the total cholesterol level. This LDL to HDL cholesterol ratio is thought to be a better marker for assessing risk of cardiovascular disease or a marker of assessing good cardiovascular health.