Just got bloodwork back and one item that's out of range is Cholesterol/HDL Ratio at 1.9L (seems the L is for Low according to the key at the bottom). I'm looking at
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...s/art-20048245 and I can't make heads or tails out of the 1.9 figure. So is it good or bad?
I eat home-cooked meals probably 80% of the time now as compared to maybe 50% a few years back (lots of fast food too).
In a world of good and bad cholesterol, LDL is the bad one. LDL collects in the walls of blood vessels, causing the blockages of atherosclerosis. Higher LDL levels put you at greater risk for a heart attack from a sudden blood clot in an artery narrowed by atherosclerosis.
Getting your LDL cholesterol checked helps determine your risk for heart disease. If your LDL cholesterol is high, treatment can reduce your chance of having a heart attack.
http://cholesterol.about.com/cs/you...55-411a-8960-0d25e1b6eb71-0-ab_msb_ocode-4559
Total Cholesterol Levels
One of the readings you will see from your laboratory results is a number for "total cholesterol." This will tell you the total number of all of the fats you have in your blood. According to the National Cholesterol Education Program: •A desirable level is less than 200 mg/dL (5.17 mmol/L)
•Levels between 200 mg/dL and 239 mg/dL (5.17–6.18 mmol/L) are considered borderline for high cholesterol.
•Levels at or above 240 mg/dL (6.21 mmol/L ) are considered high total cholesterol levels. This may put you at an increased risk for heart disease.
It is important to note that you should not determine your cholesterol levels just by your total cholesterol level. This needs to be further broken down into LDL, HDL, and triglycerides in order to give you some insight into the types of cholesterol that are in your blood.
High Density Lipoproteins
High density lipoproteins, or HDL, are considered to be the "good cholesterol", because HDL’s role in the body is to take cholesterol to the liver for degredation or processing, as opposed to allowing the cholesterol to hang around in the blood. According to the National Cholesterol Education Program: •Any HDL level above more than 60 mg/dL (1.56 mmol/L) is considered high. A high HDL level is considered very healthy, since it has a protective role in guarding against heart disease.
•An acceptable HDL range is between 40- 60 mg/dL (1.04–1.56 mmol/L).
•An undesirable level of HDL is any level below 40 mg/dL (1.04 mmol/L). In this case, low HDL levels may help to contribute to heart disease.