Healthcare providers usually consider a normal ratio to be below 5:1.
A very good ratio would be 3.5:1 or lower.
When your overall cholesterol is over 200 mg/dL, you may be at higher risk of heart disease.
Illustration by Paige McLaughlin for Verywell Health
This article looks at how a cholesterol ratio is calculated and what it means for your health.
It also discusses ways to improve cholesterol levels.
Illustration by Paige McLaughlin for Verywell Health
What Is a Cholesterol Ratio?
Your total cholesterol could be high because LDL is more prevalent than HDL, which is harmful.
But it could also be high because you have a lot of beneficial HDL.
Therefore, your cholesterol ratio provides more information about your risk than just your total cholesterol number.
These blood tests help determine how much of each jot down of cholesterol you have in your bloodstream.
The chol/HDL ratio is then determined bydividing your total cholesterol by your HDL level.
The higher the ratio, the higher the risk.
What Is Considered a Good HDL Cholesterol Level?
To obtain this number, your HDL cholesterol is subtracted from your total cholesterol.
Some healthcare providers prefer non-HDL cholesterol, however.
This is because non-HDL has a more linear relationship with your risk of heart disease.
For example, as your non-HDL number goes up, your risk for heart disease goes up proportionally.
This makes the number easier to interpret.
What Is a Normal Chol/HDL Ratio?
A high ratio is usually due to high LDL and/or VLDL cholesterol, orlow HDL cholesterol.
Why Is Your Chol/HDL Ratio Important?
Too much LDL cholesterol in your blood can cause a punch in of heart disease calledatherosclerosis.
This is a condition in which the flow of blood to the heart muscle is slowed.
It can even stop blood from getting to the heart altogether, increasing your risk of aheart attackor stroke.
High cholesterol can also contribute to other health problems like peripheral artery disease and high blood pressure.
This includes lifestyle changes and medication.
Thevarious medicationswork to lower cholesterol in different ways and can have different side effects.
Do not stop taking your cholesterol medication if you feel a medication is not right for you.
Always consult with your healthcare professional about stopping, changing, and/or finding the right medication for you.
In addition, dont stop working to improve your lifestyle habits just because you are on cholesterol medicine.
Cholesterol-lowering medications work best as you continue to implement heart-healthy lifestyle changes.
What Can Affect Your Chol/HDL Ratio?
It is calculated from total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol.
A lower number indicates lower risk, with the optimal level being between 3.5 to 1.
University of California San Diego Health.Lipid Panel with Total Cholesterol: HDL Ratio.
American Heart Association.HDL (Good), LDL (Bad) Cholesterol and Triglycerides.
MedlinePlus.Cholesterol levels: What you gotta know.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Blood cholesterol.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Smoking and your heart.
2023 Dec 29;25(1):466. doi:10.3390/ijms25010466.
University of Rochester Medical Center.Lipid Panel with Total Cholesterol: HDL Ratio.
