No matter where you turn, you are likely to be confronted by warnings about cholesterol level. Delving slightly deeper into that, you will then be overwhelmed by terms such as 'good and bad cholesterol', 'LDL', 'HDL', 'triglycerides' and more. Information on what these are, what their relationships are and at what levels they should be, have been changing. As a result, you may wonder whether an LDL HDL ratio calculator is actually accurate and, if it is, what it even tells you. Many people are confused about how they should calculate their personal ratio and even more so about what the implications of this ratio are on the body. In reality, using a good LDL HDL ratio calculator is a vital process for your overall health. It will help you make better decisions in terms of your lifestyle and help you increase your lifespan.

The LDL And HDL Ratio Calculator And The Lipid Panel Test:

It is widely agreed that, in order to get a good idea of your personal ratio, you should have a lipid panel test completed. This can be done by your family physician, but it is also offered for free in many health centers, drug stores and pharmacies. If you are having a lipid panel test done, however, you may have to fast for a certain period of time so that your levels are actually accurate and not influenced by whatever you recently ate or drank. You should have the results within no more than a week. Depending on where you had the test done, you will either be provided with the actual ratio, or with the data you need to calculate the ratio yourself.

What The Test Will Tell You:

Generally speaking, you will be provided with three key indicators in relation to your cholesterol. These indicators are your HDL, your LDL and your level of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat that is inside our bodies. You will be given the results measured in mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter) of blood. The levels you should see for HDL are 40mg/dl for men and around 50mg/dl for women. Your LDL level should be 100mg/dl if you are a man, or 150mg/dl if you are a woman. The easiest LDL HDL ratio calculator is basically to divide the triglycerides by 5 and to add this to the HDL and the LDL figures you have been given. The optimum number you should then find is 200mg/dl or below. However, you will not be classed as high risk unless the level is 239mg/dl or above.

HDL And LDL Cholesterol:

Whenever you look up something about cholesterol, you will find that LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol and should be brought down, whereas HDL is the 'good' cholesterol and should be brought up. This is not entirely true. For instance, a top athlete will generally have extremely low HDL and very high LDL, yet not be at any risk of cholesterol health problems. This is why the ratio is a much more important variable. At the same time, however, there is a risk of regular people trying to lower their LDL, which is easier to achieve than increasing HDL, so that they can continue to consume unhealthy foods. This tactic would be in vain, however, as it would show up in the levels of triglycerides. One other calculator suggests that it is more important to divide HDL by LDL and come up with a ratio of between 0.3 and 0.4 in order to be healthy.

To acess an LDL & HDL Ratio Calculator click here.

To gather more detailed information on the Lipid Panel test, click here.