Cholesterol Ratio Calculator Formula

Understand the math behind the cholesterol ratio calculator. Each variable explained with a worked example.

Use the Cholesterol Ratio Calculator

Formulas Used

LDL (Calculated)

ldl_calculated = total_chol - hdl - triglycerides / 5

Total/HDL Ratio

chol_ratio = total_chol / hdl

Non-HDL Cholesterol

non_hdl = total_chol - hdl

Variables

VariableDescriptionDefault
total_cholTotal Cholesterol(mg/dL)200
hdlHDL (Good) Cholesterol(mg/dL)55
triglyceridesTriglycerides(mg/dL)150

How It Works

Cholesterol Calculations

Friedewald Equation for LDL

LDL = Total Cholesterol - HDL - (Triglycerides / 5)

This estimate is accurate when triglycerides are below 400 mg/dL.

Cholesterol Ratio

Ratio = Total Cholesterol / HDL

A ratio below 5 is desirable. Below 3.5 is optimal.

Target Ranges

| Marker | Desirable | |---|---| | Total | Under 200 mg/dL | | LDL | Under 100 mg/dL | | HDL | Above 40 mg/dL | | Ratio | Under 5 |

Worked Example

Total cholesterol 200, HDL 55, triglycerides 150 mg/dL.

total_chol = 200hdl = 55triglycerides = 150
  1. 01LDL = 200 - 55 - (150 / 5) = 200 - 55 - 30 = 115 mg/dL
  2. 02Ratio = 200 / 55 = 3.6
  3. 03Non-HDL = 200 - 55 = 145 mg/dL

Ready to run the numbers?

Open Cholesterol Ratio Calculator