I didn't know about the ratio. My MD warned me about the LDL and total cholesterol numbers. I just calculated my ratio and it's about 3.0 which is good. Maybe the MD doesn't want me to get complacent. I think HDL is high because we use a lot of olive oil (wife is Italian) and the only supplement I take is fish/flaxseed oil (alternating days). My previous MD did say my high HDL numbers negated the overall number. My previous MD "retired" after Healthcare Partners was taken over by Optum. All the older, more experienced MDs "retired." We weren't happy about that.I thought the new science says the HDL-LDL ratio is the more important number? Or am I misremembering? Probably best to have both the good ratio and the low LDL.