LDL to HDL Cholesterol Ratio and Your Heart

Evaluating the ratio of LDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (LDL:HDL) provides clues to how the body is handling the transport and processing of cholesterol. LDL is like the bus that drops off lots of passengers throughout the body while HDL is like the taxi that picks cholesterol up and returns it to the liver for processing.

Research indicates that a higher LDL:HDL is associated with increased inner blood vessel thickness, atherosclerotic plaque, cardiovascular incidents, stroke complications, and diabetes risk, especially in those with high blood pressure. 

An elevated ratio has also been associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, even if levels of LDL-C and HDL-C were considered normal.

Therefore, it is important to look at LDL and HDL in relation to each other in order to assess cholesterol balance and its effects in the body.

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