Another important risk factor in determining your risk of
heart disease is the ratio of your total cholesterol to your HDL (highdensity
lipoprotein) level. The higher the ratio, the greater your danger of heart
disease. The ideal ratio of total cholesterol to HDL is 3.0 to 1 or lower. The
average American male's ratio is 5.1 to 1." The average vegetarian's ratio,
on the other hand, is 2.9 to 1." (‘The
Food Revolution: how your diet can help save your life and our world’, by John
Robbins)