Triglycerides/HDL ratio
What it measures, and what changes the number.
The triglycerides/HDL ratio is a calculated value, not a separate laboratory measurement. It is obtained by dividing the triglyceride result by the HDL cholesterol result from the same lipid panel.
It is read alongside the lipid panel itself and is sometimes looked at together with markers of glucose metabolism such as insulin, HOMA-IR and HbA1c, since it has been studied as an indirect marker related to insulin resistance.
Because triglycerides change after meals, whether the sample was taken fasting affects this ratio. The units matter too: a ratio calculated from mg/dL values is not the same number as one calculated from mmol/L values, so ratios from labs using different units cannot be compared directly. Labs may print it as Triglycerides/HDL Ratio.
Often read alongside: Triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, HOMA-IR, Insulin, Total cholesterol