Cholesterol Ratio Calculator

This cholesterol ratio calculator allows you to perform a quick check-up. Based on your blood test results, it calculates the most popular cholesterol ratios (LDL/HDL, triglycerides/HDL, and total cholesterol-HDL ratio).

Read on to learn how to calculate these cholesterol ratios and what causes high cholesterol, or, for more of your health needs, take a look at our BMI calculator.

We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace a professional doctor's assessment. If any health condition bothers you, consult a physician.

Our cholesterol ratio calculator takes into account four basic blood test results. All of the recommended levels are taken from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute within the National Institute of Health.

You only need to input three of your results — they are dependent on each other according to the formula:

total cholesterol = HDL + LDL + 0.2 × triglycerides

1. Total cholesterol is just an overview of your cholesterol level. It might be misleading, as it combines good and bad cholesterol levels in your blood and does not give sufficient information about heart disease risks.

   • Desirable: Less than 200 mg/dL (though optimal is < 150 mg/dL)
   • Borderline high: 200-239 mg/dL
   • High: 240 mg/dL and above

2. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is the "good" cholesterol in your blood. Generally speaking, it is a form of cholesterol that is transferred from other parts of your body to the liver in order to metabolize it and remove it from the body with bile acids. That's why this is the only cholesterol type that should be kept relatively high (aim for max. 80-90 mg/dL). Women tend to have slightly higher HDL levels than men.

   • Optimal: 60 mg/dL and above
   • Borderline: 40-59 mg/dL
   • Risk of heart disease: Less than 40 mg/dL

3. LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is the "bad" cholesterol that accumulates in your arteries and can cause serious medical conditions, such as heart or brain strokes. The lower the LDL level, the better. Remember that if your LDL level is high, you should consult a doctor to investigate risk factors that can lead to heart diseases. Use our LDL calculator to estimate its value based on total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride levels.

   • Optimal: Less than 100 mg/dL
   • Near optimal/above optimal: 100-129 mg/dL
   • Borderline high: 130-159 mg/dL
   • High: 160-189 mg/dL
   • Very high: 190 mg/dL and above

4. Triglycerides are not actually cholesterol, but a type of fat transported within your blood. Most of the triglycerides in your body are stored as body fat. Still, high triglyceride levels may be a sign of a lipoprotein problem, as other symptoms such as diabetes often accompany it.

   • Normal: Less than 150 mg/dL (though some studies suggest a level of /< 100 mg/dL might be optimal)
   • Borderline high: 150-199 mg/dL
   • High: 200-499 mg/dL
   • Very high: 500 mg/dL or above

It is also crucial to know that desirable values of different cholesterol fractions may differ regarding the patient and their cardiovascular risk. For example, a patient with diabetes or chronic kidney disease has primarily a higher CVD risk, so their optimal cholesterol levels will be lower than in a healthy individual.

To reassure yourself about your results, consult with your doctor.

Sometimes, you can meet indicators other than the ones mentioned above. They are all built as ratios of the aforementioned blood results and are, therefore, called cholesterol ratios. They don't serve any clinical purpose, but some people benefit from better understanding their blood test results.

You can use this total cholesterol calculator to find the following values:

1. LDL/HDL ratio is simply the LDL level divided by the HDL level. LDL/HDL ratio is one of the most popular measures of heart disease risk.

   • Ideal: below 2.0
   • Good: below 5.0
   • Too high: above 5.0

2. Triglyceride HDL ratio can be calculated by dividing your triglyceride level by HDL level. It's a less popular indicator; nevertheless, it is also used to determine heart stroke risks.

   If you measure the values in mg/dL, the normal range for the triglyceride HDL ratio is:

   • Ideal: 2.0 or less
   • High: 4.0-6.0
   • Too high: 6.0 or above

   For a calculation of this ratio in mmol/L (check the Show the above ratio in mmol/L. checkbox in the calculator), the normal range of the ratio value is different:

   • Ideal: 0.87 or less
   • High: 1.74-2.62
   • Too high: 2.62 or above

   Check out our cholesterol units calculator to fully understand the conversion between mmol/L and mg/dL units.

3. Total cholesterol HDL (TC HDL) ratio is found by dividing the total cholesterol level by the HDL level. The cholesterol HDL ratio is considered the worst of these three indicators — the American Heart Association does not recommend using it for diagnosis. Still, you can look at this number to get a general idea of your health condition.

   • Ideal: under 3.5
   • Good: under 5.0
   • Bad: over 5

So, what is a good cholesterol ratio? The one counted after checking if the values fall within the normal range, and usually, the lower, the better.

Without cholesterol, the life of humans and animals would not be possible. It is an essential structural component of cell membranes and is needed in the process of production of steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D.

Moreover, you should notice that you can have cholesterol levels that are too low in certain clinical situations, but it is not very often. This condition is called hypocholesterolemia. It is usually caused by hyperthyroidism (excessive production of thyroid hormones), adrenal insufficiency, liver diseases, depression, cerebral hemorrhage, or cancer. In sporadic cases, it is caused by SLOS (Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome) — a genetic abnormality in synthesizing cholesterol.

On the other hand, high levels of cholesterol, so-called hypercholesterolemia lead to substantial health problems. The most important consequence of high cholesterol is atherosclerosis. It is a disease in which the inside of an artery narrows due to the accumulation of plaque. At first, patients usually don't have any symptoms, but eventually, it causes:

• Coronary artery disease (including heart attack);
• Stroke;
• Peripheral arteries disease; and
• Chronic kidney failure.

That is why it is so important to know and regulate your cholesterol levels to minimize the risk of atherosclerosis and its consequences!

As mentioned before, high levels of cholesterol may substantially impact our overall life. So it's worth knowing what the causes of high cholesterol are.

Hypercholesterolemia is often caused by the individual's lifestyle and diet. Examples encompass smoking, alcohol use, a sedentary lifestyle, and a diet rich in saturated fatty acids and simple sugars. Hypercholesterolemia frequently accompanies chronic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and untreated hypothyroidism. It may also be caused by genetic disorders, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, which is not that rare — about 0.3% of the population have mutations causing high LDL-cholesterol!

Research shows that you can achieve up to 35% LDL cholesterol reduction by implementing lifestyle changes. Counterintuitively, it is not the dietary cholesterol that is the most crucial to avoid — as our liver can produce the cholesterol for the body's own needs (remember we talked about the cell walls?). The main players are trans fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, overall calorie surplus, and simple sugars. They can not only increase the LDL and total cholesterol levels but also decrease the "good HDL" level!

If you are in the risk group of hypercholesterolemia, check out blood sugar converter, and start living healthier!

If you are wondering what to do about your cholesterol, follow these rules proposed by the European Society of Cardiology:

1. Reduce trans fatty acids in your diet (5%-10% LDL reduction).

   • Read the nutrition facts labels — if you see the product contains "partially hydrogenated fat" — that is trans fat in disguise.

   • Replace fried and battered foods with baked or cooked ones.

   • Replace butter with plant bread spread, or hummus, or avocado.

   • Choose leaner meat - chicken over red meat and leaner dairy products, such as skim milk.

   • Read more on trans fats here.

2. Reduce saturated fatty acids in your daily nutrition choices (5-10% LDL reduction).

   • Replace butter, lard, and coconut oil with olive oil, plant margarine (the ones without trans fats), and other plant oils.

   • Choose skim dairy and lean meat — animal-derived fat consists mostly of saturated fatty acids.

   • Beware of sweets, even those advertised as "fit" or "no sugar" — if they contain chocolate or cream, they're most likely still rich in saturated fatty acids.

3. Eat more fiber (5%-10% LDL reduction)

   • Become friends with oatmeal and nuts.

   • Replace meat with beans and legumes. Do not forget tofu and soy — it has excellent cholesterol-lowering properties.

   • Add vegetables to every meal; aim for at least 400 g a day.

4. Use medications. If the non-pharmacological ways of treatment don't bring satisfactory results, don't hesitate to contact your doctor, who may propose drug therapies. There are numerous drugs that doctors can use to lower your bad cholesterol and correct your LDL HDL ratio. It has been scientifically proven that they not only lower cholesterol but also decrease cardiovascular risk (risk of heart attack, stroke, etc.) and prolong life.

Don't be afraid to make valuable changes in your life. Calculate your LDL HDL ratio and other ratios using our cholesterol ratio calculator. Lower your cholesterol, treat hypertension and diabetes, check for abnormalities in your ECG, protect your heart and live healthier, longer, and happier!