About Total Cholesterol / HDL Ratio
The total cholesterol to HDL ratio combines two pieces of information — the total burden of cholesterol and the protective HDL fraction — into a single cardiovascular risk score. A ratio above 5 is considered elevated risk; below 3.5 is considered optimal. It is more predictive than total cholesterol alone because it rewards high HDL: a high total cholesterol driven by excellent HDL carries far less risk than the same number driven by LDL.