TC/HDL Ratio
Total Cholesterol to HDL Cholesterol Ratio
The TC/HDL ratio compares your total cholesterol with your HDL cholesterol. For example, total cholesterol of 200 and HDL of 50 give a ratio of 4. The calculation uses the same units for both numbers.
Try your TC/HDL Ratio result.
A quick one-marker check. Vita can score it better once it sees the full lab report around it.
What does a high ratio mean?
A higher ratio can come from higher total cholesterol, lower HDL, or both. The ratio can hide important differences between those results. A reassuring ratio does not rule out high LDL.
A ratio is not a treatment target
There is no single ratio that guarantees healthy arteries. Clinical decisions usually focus on LDL, non-HDL and overall risk rather than trying to achieve a particular ratio.
Sources: Mayo Clinic
What can change this result?
What can raise the ratio
- More total cholesterol relative to HDL, often because LDL is higher.
- Smoking or inactivity that lowers HDL.
What to focus on
- Food changes and prescribed treatment that lower high LDL.
- Regular activity and quitting smoking to support heart health.
The ratio can improve for different reasons. Look at LDL, non-HDL and HDL themselves rather than trying to hit a ratio alone.
What should I do next?
- Check the two numbers used to calculate the ratio.
- Review LDL and non-HDL rather than treating the ratio in isolation.
- Ask which cholesterol measurement should guide your follow-up.
How this test works
Dividing one cholesterol measurement by another removes the units. The same ratio can come from very different cholesterol concentrations, so it loses some information about the actual amounts in your blood.