If you haven’t done so please watch the video below so you are in the know…
Size is important when we are speaking about LDL, specifically particle size. Unfortunately, most conventional cardiologists snub or “belittle” this test.
Large particles (pattern A) are healthy, while small dense particles (pattern B) are not. You may request a lipoprotein electrophoresis test to determine your particle size, however, it is expensive. Alternatively, you can use a surrogate test, and that’s what this ratio is. This surrogate test will determine your risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Remember – it’s not about the LDL, it’s about a ratio. The Triglyceride (TG) to High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) ratio is a very good predictor of coronary heart disease and stroke, NOT Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. In fact, LDL has little to do with overall risk.
You will need:
• Triglycerides levels – this is the amount of fat in the bloodstream
• HDL reading
Here is how you can work out the ratio?
All you do is take the Triglyceride and divide by the HDL
Here is a quick example:
TG = 120 mg/dL
HDL= 40 mg/dL
120 / 40 = 3.0
Thus: Simply take the Triglyceride and divide by the HDL; the closer to 1, the better
The above example indicates an elevated risk of heart attack and stroke. In fact, at 3:1 the likelihood of a heart attack goes way up!
Low TG:HDL is desirable.
Example: TG of 50 mg/dL and HDL of 80 mg/dL provides a low TG:HDL ratio of 0.6.
High TG:HDL, especially higher than 3, indicates a significant risk of heart attack and stroke.
If the values are in mg/dl then less than 2 is ideal with 3 or above being too high.
(If your results are in mmol/L multiply this ratio by 0.4366 to reach the correct value. Here, your ratio should be less than 0.87 with 1.74 being way too high.)
More about Triglycerides:
If your triglycerides are under 88.57mg/dL (1mmol/L) – Essentially none of the LDL will be in the dangerous small dense (sdLDL) region.
If over 132.86mg/dL (1.5 mmol/L) – then you may have predominantly sdLDL. Which means you are eating too many carbohydrates.
How can you improve your Triglycerides?
1. Lose weight especially “belly fat”
2. Avoid sugar
3. This is why a highly processed (junk food) diet is so dangerous, its high carb, high sugar (meaning high fructose) and these ingredients are a recipe for disaster – you will have both high triglycerides and low HDL.
4. Eat fewer carbohydrates and follow a Ketogenic Diet. If you follow a Ketogenic Diet you will have slightly higher LDL cholesterol – this is ideal – as it is more likely to be the large fluffy particles, not the sdLDL. It’s absolutely safe.
P.S. When you are pregnant your triglycerides skyrocket – naturally and safely – it’s how you were created.
Click Here and join My Über Ketogenic Diet today.
Leave A Response