Your Cholesterol Might Look "Normal"—But Read This

But there's a deeper story your standard lipid panel isn't telling:
You can actually calculate it yourself. It's called the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio, and it's a powerful indicator of your metabolic health.

Here's how to do it:

Take your triglyceride number and divide it by your HDL cholesterol. That's it.
Example:

Triglycerides = 150
HDL = 50
Ratio = 150 ÷ 50 = 3

How to interpret it:

Under 2 = insulin sensitive 
2 to 4 = moderate risk 
Over 4 = often a sign of insulin resistance, fatty liver, early cardiometabolic disease
Even if everything else "looks fine," this ratio can catch red flags early—before they turn into a diagnosis.

So what should you do if your ratio is high?

1. Cut refined carbs, sugar, and alcohol 
2. Add strength training 
3. Manage stress 
4. Get fasting insulin + advanced lipid testing
5. Track progress over time 

Let's talk about #4 for a second 

Why test fasting insulin?

Because insulin resistance often shows up years before blood sugar becomes a problem. Elevated insulin is one of the earliest signs your metabolism is struggling—long before A1C or glucose flag anything. Catching this early gives us a head start in reversing the trend, naturally.

Advanced lipid testing goes beyond total cholesterol and LDL.

It looks at:

• Particle size and number (because small, dense LDL is more dangerous than big, fluffy ones)
• Lipoprotein(a) – a genetically driven risk factor most docs don't check
• Apolipoprotein B – gives a more accurate look at the number of atherogenic particles (the ones that actually cause plaque and drive heart disease)

And more nuance than the old "good vs. bad cholesterol" model ever could.

In functional medicine, we go beyond the basics.

We dig for root causes, tailor your care, and make sure we're seeing the full picture—not just chasing numbers.

If you're ready to dig deeper into your metabolic health, I'd love to help you do it.

With a whole lot of care (and zero BS).