Has Anyone Asked You About Ratio Hdl Ldl Lately?

The chances are pretty good that during your last social lunch outing none of your friends asked you what your ratio HDL LDL was. On the other hand if they were aware that you may have struggled for years with high cholesterol they might have inquired about your cholesterol levels. Part of the reason for this is that while everyone has at least heard of high cholesterol, few outside the medical community actually know much about the lipoprotein carriers HDL (high density lipoproteins) and LDL (low density lipoproteins) and even fewer recognize the importance of the ratio HDL LDL. In this article we will briefly describe each one and then explain why the ratio HDL LDL is so important for cardiovascular health.

Generally, when 20 milliliters of blood is taken to perform a cholesterol test it is zipped of to the lab where a technician counts the cholesterol particles. The results will come back looking like this: 230 mg/dl.. Translation: you have 230 milligrams of total cholesterol in every deciliter (1/10th of a liter) of blood. Nothing is mentioned about those pesky LDL molecules (bad cholesterol) or HDL (good cholesterol). The truth of the matter is that if the ratio HDL LDL is out whack but your overall cholesterol reading is good you may be under the false assumption that all is well, when really it isn’t.

*HDL molecules are very dense. They don’t contribute to cholesterol laden plaque deposits. They are helpful because they collect and ferry cholesterol out of the body. They also seem to reduce existing arterial plaque deposits when they exist in sufficient numbers. An HDL reading around 50 is considered normal with below 40 being dangerously low.

*LDL molecules are very fatty. These molecules carry essential cholesterol through the arteries and to the cells. The problem is they may leave a little along the interior lining of the arteries. This is especially true when the arterial lining is no longer smooth, having been injured or nicked in some way. Over time these small deposits grow ever larger as other debris accumulates, reaching a crescendo when fibrous tissue forms, and calcium tops it off. Once these LDL driven plaque deposits grow large enough to restrict blood flow it is only a matter of time until a blood clot comes along and blocks the artery completely causing a heart attack or stroke.

As you can see it is a balancing act between good and bad. The ratio HDL LDL is referred to in medial terms as the cardiac risk ratio, because it gives us an indication as to whether cholesterol is being deposited into our arteries or being broken down and excreted. The total cholesterol to HDL ratio should be no higher than 4, and the LDL to HDL ratio no higher than 2.5. The more you can narrow the gap in between the two the better your chances will be of avoiding a heart attack or stroke.

What Next? Narrowing the ratio HDL LDL, in most cases, is about changing old habits, adopting new healthier habits, and enlisting the help of convention medications such as statins or natural cholesterol reducing remedies if needed. Put simply, this basically means finding ways to increase HDL (good cholesterol) and decrease LDL (bad cholesterol levels), and bring overall cholesterol down to acceptable heart healthy levels. Certainly the aforementioned statin drugs will be one of your options but they do carry a number of serious label warnings, and haven’t been shown to raise HDL very much, if at all. The side effect risks have made natural cholesterol reduction supplements combined with diet modification and exercise a safe and effective combination worth considering.

By: R.D. Hawkins

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R.D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of natural health products and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at Purchase Remedies.com