Should you use your cholesterol - article about Should you use your cholesterol

Should You Use Your Cholesterol Ratio?

Basically, in order to prevent having a life full of heart disease and other problems, you will want to do at least three things on a regular basis. You will definitely want to eat foods that are heart-healthy. In addition to eating healthy, you will also want to get regular exercise and, finally, you will want to stop smoking (if you already do so) and avoid tobacco smoke altogether.

There are a few ways to look at a person’s cholesterol, what of which being the cholesterol ratio. Some physicians prefer actual cholesterol numbers as opposed to a cholesterol ratio because it is easier to determine the appropriate treatment methods using those numbers. However, some physicians prefer to use the cholesterol ratio.

What Exactly Is A Cholesterol Ratio?

A cholesterol ratio is the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol in place of the total blood cholesterol. By dividing the HDL cholesterol into the total cholesterol, you will come up with your desired ratio.

Example: if a person has a total cholesterol of 200 mg/dL and an HDL cholesterol of 50 mg/dL, then the cholesterol ratio is 4:1. Ideally, you will want to keep this ratio below 5:1. The best cholesterol ratio that you would want is 3.5:1. Even if you cannot reach that optimum level, do your best to keep it as close as possible to that number.

No matter what, the most important thing for you to do is lead as healthy a life as you possibly can. Even if you cannot reach the optimum cholesterol levels and ratios right away, don’t panic or give up. Plenty of hard work and determination, along with the willingness to try and stay healthy, you can bring down your cholesterol ratio and make your heart less at risk for disease.

The cholesterol ratio is not used by every physician, as some believe looking at actual numbers will help them more when determining which route to take when it comes to treatment. Either way, you may want to get a ratio as well just so you can have all the information possible on your health. It may end up helping you more in the long run.

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