Triglyceride / HDL Ratio Calculator
Enter your triglycerides and HDL from your most recent lipid panel to see your TG/HDL ratio (US units, mg/dL).
Educational tool. Both values must come from a fasting lipid panel. If you're outside the US (mmol/L), multiply triglycerides by 88.57 and HDL by 38.67 to convert to mg/dL before entering.
Why the ratio beats either number alone
Triglycerides reflect short-term carbohydrate handling and liver fat. HDL reflects long-term metabolic resilience. The ratio captures both at once — and tracks tightly with LDL particle count and the small-dense-LDL phenotype. When trig/HDL drifts up, the fix is rarely a statin: it's sleep, fiber, weight, and resistance training. Use the ratio as a monthly compass.
Frequently asked questions
- What does the triglyceride / HDL ratio tell me?
- It's one of the strongest single-number predictors of insulin resistance and atherogenic dyslipidemia — the small-dense-LDL pattern that drives heart disease. A high ratio suggests your lipoprotein profile is shifted toward more atherogenic particles, even when LDL cholesterol looks normal.
- What's a healthy ratio?
- Below 1.5 — optimal (commonly seen in metabolically healthy lean individuals). 1.5 to 2.0 — good. 2.0 to 3.5 — elevated risk, often the first signal of insulin resistance. Above 3.5 — atherogenic dyslipidemia, strong correlate of cardiovascular risk and metabolic syndrome.
- Why is this often more useful than LDL alone?
- LDL-C measures cholesterol mass, not particle count. Two people with the same LDL can have very different numbers of LDL particles. A high trig/HDL ratio strongly correlates with high LDL particle count (LDL-P) and small-dense LDL — the most atherogenic subtype. So when ApoB or LDL-P isn't on your panel, trig/HDL is the best proxy.
- What units does the calculator expect?
- US units — both triglycerides and HDL in mg/dL. If your lab reports in mmol/L (most of Europe and Canada), multiply triglycerides by 88.57 and HDL by 38.67 to convert to mg/dL before entering. We don't auto-convert because the ratio depends on using the same units for both inputs.
- Does Merios store these numbers?
- No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your inputs never leave your device.
Track this in Merios
Watch the curve, not the snapshot.
Merios recalculates trig/HDL ratio with every lipid panel and tracks the trend over time alongside ApoB, LDL, HDL, and HOMA-IR.
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