Establishing the Right HDL-LDL Ratio Could Be the Key to Avoiding Cholesterol Related Disease

Establishing a proper HDL LDL ratio seems to be by some accounts the most important part of the cholesterol puzzle. Any imbalance in these two titans of the cholesterol world can create serious health concerns.

HDL is short for high density lipoproteins or so called good cholesterol whereas LDL stands for low density lipoproteins. They are as different as night and day. One is the lean mean cholesterol fighting machine (HDL) and the other (LDL) is thought to be the slob responsible for arterial blockage.

You can think of HDL as scavenge cells that round up misplaced cholesterol from the arteries. If you can find a way to raise your HDL levels high enough, most experts believe that regardless of your total cholesterol readings you will lower your chances of heart attack and stroke. This belief if supported by X-ray studies showing that people who raise their HDL or good cholesterol through diet, exercise, smoking cessation, or the controlled use of prescription medication not only reduce cholesterol in the arteries but also remove existing plaque.

The HDL LDL ratio is the key to activating this artery clearing mechanism. The desirable HDL LDL ratio is a reading of 60 or above on HDL and 100 or below for LDL. So HDL LDL reading of 1.5 to 1 or one and a half times more bad cholesterol than good is considered in a heart healthy range. On the other hand if your bad cholesterol has climbed into the 160 range and your good cholesterol has plummeted to 40 or below this represents a HDL LDL ratio of 4 to 1 or more.

Congratulations your have now joined the select club who has become eligible for a luxury vacation at the coronary care unit of your local hospital. Just think of it, nurses in short shirts, handsome male doctors, and liquid solutions being delivered intravenously. The benefits of a lousy HDL LDL ratio just never seem to stop coming.

All humor aside a poor HDL LDL ratio is a major risk factor for coronary heart and artery disease and needs to be corrected. Some studies suggest that the ratio between good cholesterol and bad cholesterol should be only slightly higher that 1:1 for those with existing health concerns such as diabetes, peripheral artery disease, a history of stroke or aortic aneurysm, or know coronary artery disease, and for those who have two or more risk factors present for coronary artery disease (ex. smoking, obesity).

The specific numbers for this select group are about 70 for LDL and 60 for HDL.

In conclusion, to bring your HDL LDL readings into a healthy range you will have a number of excellent options including slight dietary modification and exercise (after getting your doctors OK). Additionally, many natural health minded individuals are finding the combination of diet, exercise, and lowered-cholesterol.com natural cholesterol reducing remedies to be a powerful three step approach for bringing HDL LDL ratios into the heart healthy range, thus reducing their chances for heart attack and stroke.

Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at purchaseremedies.com Purchase Remedies.com.