The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease--and the Statin-Free Plan that Will

by Jonny Bowden

Want a much better way to tell whether you’re at risk? Look at these two line items on your blood test: triglycerides and HDL (the so-called “good” cholesterol). Now if you’re not too freaked out about doing a bit of math, calculate the ratio of your triglycerides to your HDL. Just divide your triglyceride number by your HDL number. If, for example, your triglycerides are 150 mg/dL and your HDL is 50 mg/dL, you have a ratio of 3 (150:50). If your triglycerides are 100 mg/dL and your HDL is 50 mg/dL, you have a ratio of 2 (100:50). (If your triglycerides are smaller than your HDL and you get a ratio of less than one, you can pretty much stop reading this book right now. Your risk factor is off-the-charts low. The triglyceride to HDL ratio is a far better predictor of heart disease than cholesterol ever was.