- With Mayo Clinic cardiologist
Thomas Behrenbeck, M.D., Ph.D.
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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.
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Symptoms (1)
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Tests and diagnosis (3)
- Cholesterol ratio: Is it important?
- Cholesterol test kits: Are they accurate?
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Treatments and drugs (6)
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- see all in Treatments and drugs
Lifestyle and home remedies (4)
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- MUFAs: Why should my diet include these fats?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (2)
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Prevention (2)
- Healthy heart for life: Avoiding heart disease
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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 questionCholesterol test kits: Are they accurate?
- 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.
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