Cholesterol particle balance metrics
Quality and Security
High-quality testing run in a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited lab in Santa Clara, California.
About Lipid Ratios
${ activeTab.tab_content.text }
Loading...
About Lipid Ratios
Overview and History
Lipid ratios are derived biomarkers that compare concentrations of lipids or their carrier proteins—for example total cholesterol/HDL, LDL/HDL, triglyceride/HDL, and ApoB/ApoA1. They fall into the biochemical category of composite lipoprotein metrics: rather than reporting a single molecule, they express relationships between classes of lipoproteins and apolipoproteins.
Epidemiology and clinical research over decades showed that ratios often track risk patterns better than isolated values, because they capture particle number, size tendencies, and metabolic context. Biologically, ratios reflect how lipids are transported and exchanged between lipoproteins and tissues, and they act as an integrative signal of lipid handling, metabolic state, and lipoprotein particle mix.
Interpreting Highs and Lows
Higher (more unfavorable) lipid ratios generally suggest a greater relative burden of atherogenic particles versus protective particles—patterns linked with higher triglycerides, elevated ApoB relative to ApoA1, small dense LDL tendency, or metabolic strain and inflammation. Lower (more favorable) ratios typically indicate a higher proportion of protective lipoproteins relative to atherogenic ones, but can also result from low absolute lipid levels, genetic variants, or lab variability. Ratio results are most meaningful when interpreted alongside direct lipids, apolipoproteins, inflammatory markers, metabolic tests, and genetic data in the full Cardio Zoomer profile.
Featured Test
Cardio Zoomer includes Lipid Ratios to assess lipid quality and balance beyond single cholesterol measurements. Ratios help distinguish whether risk signals come from particle composition, metabolic dysfunction, or lipoprotein burden, and they integrate with inflammation, ceramides, and genetics to refine personalized cardiovascular profiling.
Related Articles
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet most testing still focuses on surface-level metrics like total cholesterol or...
What do you think of when you hear the term “cardiovascular disease?” Most people immediately think of high cholesterol, but cardiovascular risk goes ...
A common theme among many of my nutrition clients is that despite eating well, staying active, and managing stress, they feel worn down, inflamed, and...
When it comes to cardiovascular disease (CVD), many people immediately think of high cholesterol. High cholesterol—a specific type of dyslipidemia or ...
Results trusted by over 18,000 functional wellness professionals
We’re the leading provider of specialty wellness lab testing because we develop our testing with rigorous, ongoing research by top clinical experts, doctors, and scientists.
-1.png?width=542&height=427&name=shutterstock_2371998817%201%20(1)-1.png)
.png?width=207&height=108&name=Group%201410104259%20(1).png)
The gold standard of accuracy in the lab industry
Our tests run on a proprietary 3Dense microchip technology platform that boasts unrivaled specificity and sensitivity. While most other labs carry only CLIA certification, we're CAP-accredited by the College of American Pathologists.
.png?width=487&height=356&name=Frame%201410104197%20(3).png)
.png?width=187&height=63&name=category%20Card%20text%20(1).png)
.png?width=202&height=63&name=category%20Card%20text%20(2).png)
Mary Beth Augustine
DCN, RDN, FAND- Lead Clinical Educator
Suzanne Barker
MS, RDN, LD, CTTS, CGP- Clinical Educator
Suzette Garcia
MSc- MHNE- Clinical Educator
Brooke Mader Ganev
MS, CNS, LDN, FDN- Clinical Educator
Adair Anderson
MS, RDN, LDN- Clinical Educator
Lillie Luu Nguyen
DCN, CNS, LDN- Clinical Educator
Jason Barker
ND- Clinical Educator
Emaline Brown
ND- Clinical Educator
Dana Filatova
DCN, CNS, LDN- Clinical Educator
Jessy Dhanjal
ND- Clinical Educator
Nour Amri
MS, LDN, CNS, CKNS- Clinical Educator
