- With Mayo Clinic cardiologist
Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.
Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D.
Dr. Thomas Behrenbeck is a native of Germany, where he received his medical education at the Westfalian Wilhelm University in Munster and became board certified in internal medicine and cardiology.
He also received a Ph.D. in biophysics and physiology at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Behrenbeck joined the Mayo Clinic staff in 1990 and is currently an associate professor at Mayo Medical School and an academic faculty member at the Westfalian Wilhelm University. He is the past chair of the Cardiovascular Medicine & Surgery NetWork of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Dr. Behrenbeck is a noninvasive cardiologist, specializing in cardiovascular (CV) imaging modalities (echocardiography, nuclear cardiology and CT), coronary artery disease and prevention of coronary artery disease. His research interests are the application of imaging technology to early recognition and treatment of atherosclerosis. He is passionate about patients' involvement in their health issues.
"The Internet and patient education present ideal synergies in the ever-growing field of knowledge in cardiology," he says.
Definition (1)
- VLDL cholesterol: Is it harmful?
Symptoms (1)
- Arcus senilis: A sign of high cholesterol?
Tests and diagnosis (3)
- Cholesterol level: Can it be too low?
- Cholesterol test kits: Are they accurate?
- Cholesterol ratio: Is it important?
Treatments and drugs (6)
- High cholesterol in children: How is it treated?
- After a flood, are food and medicine safe to use?
- Niacin overdose: What are the symptoms?
- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (4)
- Pomegranate juice: Can it lower cholesterol?
- Eggs: Are they good or bad for my cholesterol?
- MUFAs: Why should my diet include these fats?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (2)
- High cholesterol treatment: Does cinnamon lower cholesterol?
- Does prickly pear cactus have health benefits?
Prevention (2)
- Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
- Healthy heart for life: Avoiding heart disease
Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Cholesterol ratio: Is it important?
How important is cholesterol ratio?
Answer
from Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.
Calculating your cholesterol ratio can provide useful information about your heart disease risk, but it isn't useful for deciding what treatment you should have to reduce your heart disease risk. Your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol levels are more useful in guiding treatment than is your cholesterol ratio.
You can calculate your cholesterol ratio by dividing your high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol into your total cholesterol. For example, if your total cholesterol is 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) (5.2 millimoles per liter, or mmol/L) and your HDL cholesterol is 50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L), your cholesterol ratio is 4-to-1. According to the American Heart Association, the goal is to keep your cholesterol ratio 5-to-1 or lower. An optimum ratio is 3.5-to-1. A higher ratio indicates a higher risk of heart disease; a lower ratio indicates a lower risk.
For treatment purposes, it's important to know absolute numbers for all your cholesterol levels. People with very low HDL levels or very high LDL levels may be at substantial risk. There are effective ways to lower LDL cholesterol that are proven to reduce risk.
Next questionHigh cholesterol in children: How is it treated?
- Arsenault BJ, et al. Beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: Respective contributions of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and the total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio to coronary heart disease risk in apparently healthy men and women. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2010;55:35.
- Based on Third report of the expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (adult treatment panel III). The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol and other sources. Accessed Oct. 18, 2011. Adapted by Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
- What your cholesterol levels mean. American Heart Association. http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HEARTORG/Conditions/Cholesterol/AboutCholesterol/What-Your-Cholesterol-Levels-Mean_UCM_305562_Article.jsp. Accessed Oct. 26, 2011.
Find Mayo Clinic on