Fuente: WIPO "olive oil" A method of determining in an animal the ratio of serum campesterol to the level of beta-sitosterol comprises the steps of taking a serum sample, determining the campesterol level therein, determining the beta-sitosterol level therein, dividing the campesterol level by the beta-sitosterol level to form a campesterol/beta-sitosterol ratio, and comparing the campesterol/beta- sitosterol ratio with that of a normal control, wherein the improvement comprises selecting the campesterol/beta-sitosterol ratio as an indicator and correlating the ratio to the risk of the animal having an increased risk of cardiovascular and related diseases.