This is not always a cause for serious concern, as the ratio has less significance as the total cholesterol level gets closer to 150. See the section on Risk Factors for an interpretation of the ratio. LDL cholesterol, which is often called bad cholesterol, is useful in assessing heart disease risk, but many physicians feel it is not nearly as important as the total cholesterol and HDL counts. The typical level in the U.S. is between 75 and 185. It is considered beneficial to keep LDL levels under 130, as higher levels are associated with greater risk.
Some labs also calculate VLDL, very low density lipoproteins.
The link between VLDL and heart disease risk is less well established. Body Fat Percent is a way to determine the proportion of fat to other tissue. When fats are reduced and exercise increased, sometimes weight doesn't drop as expected. The fatty tissue may be replaced with newly formed muscle cells, which weigh more than fat. It is helpful to know the percent of fat in the body is being reduced, even if weight sometimes doesn't change as much as expected.