How to Calculate HDL Ratio

Cholesterol is a chemical compound that naturally occurs in the body. Excess cholesterol in the blood, however, may clog, narrow or even block arteries. Thus, a high cholesterol level is a major risk factor for a heart disease and stroke. The cholesterol associated with those risks is called “bad” cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). “Good” cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein or HDL, helps to metabolize the excess of the substance. Calculating the ratio between the “good” and “bad” cholesterol allows you to estimate your risk level.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Get your blood test results or obtain cholesterol data from your chart or physician. The cholesterol level is given in milligrams per 100 milliliters (1 deciliter) of blood, or mg/dL.

• 2

  Look for the LDL ("bad") cholesterol value in the report. For instance, say that the LDL equals 150 mg/dL.

• 3

  Find the HDL ("good") cholesterol value. As an example, your good cholesterol, HDL, is 90 mg/dL.

• 4

  Divide the HDL value by the LDL level to obtain the ratio. For the numbers in the example, the HDL/LDL ratio is 90 / 150 = 0.6.

• 5

  Analyze the HDL/LDL ratio; the values below 0.3 represent a risk factor for heart diseases, while values above 0.4 are optimally good.