High HDL Cholesterol

Question: Is it possible for your HDL Cholesterol to be too high? My overall Cholesterol score is 195 My HDL Cholesterol score is 101 My LDL Cholesterol score is 85.2 I know HDL is the "good" cholesterol, but when I tried to input this number into my health tracker, it denied it saying that it must be incorrect. Is an extremely high HDL cholesterol level unhealthy?

Answer: If your total cholesterol is less than 200, and hdl is greather than 60, you have a very low heart risk. High levels of HDL isn't considered a risk as long as total cholesterol remains below 200.

Question: My HDL cholesterol is EXTREMELY high!? My HDL is sky high at 144! Normal range is 40-59 My LDL is near Normal. My total cholesterol is 274 which is HIGH. Normal 100-199. The Total cholesterol to HDL ratio is 1.9 which calculates to zero risk associated to heart and other high cholesterol diseases. My triglycerides are only 42. Normal range 0-149. Red blood cell counts are fine and Neutrophil white blood cells are ALWAYS low, EOS white blood cells are always high (probably allergies) and the overall white blood count is low. My mom has similar numbers and her doctor is treating her for high cholesterol. I do not take prescriptions but she takes handfuls. We also test at different labs every year. My question is... what causes these crazy high HDL numbers? If the world is looking for a way to significantly increase HDL without changing diets, does the government have tests going to look at people like us? I need help to determine the CAUSES of high HDL AND whether there are studies on people with high HDL either born that way or became that way. Please NO advice about high HDL being "good" and that I should only worry about LDL cause that is OLD news.

Answer: High HDL can be hereditary. (IE Run in Families). It seems like you are in this group unless both you and your mom have similar dietary habits since it can happen with alcohol use or previous abuse. Sometimes the cause is liver damage. The liver cannot uptake HDL very well. I have heard that not all HDLs are good... I'm not talking about LDL. Your LDL is fine. You might want to see if your HDLs are good or bad because with cholesterol that high and bad HDLs in your blood is just as bad as having too many LDL... But, I doubt that you have any serious issues as your triglycerides look great! As far as studies, I do not know. Sorry that I cannot help you with that.

Question: My HDL (good cholesterol) is really high at 87, making my overall cholesterol level high... is that bad? My HDL (good cholesterol) is really high at 87 is that bad? My LDL (bad cholesterol) is 126, but my high HDL makes my overall cholesterol level high at 224... is that bad?

Answer: Hi You and I have the same HDL! Your LDL is great, though. Mine is pretty high at 278. Nevertheless, I'm not worried about my heart disease risk. My triglycerides are low and my HDL is great. The latest word is that VLDL, very small dense particles, along with low HDL and high triglycerides are the risk factors to watch out for. And what most people don't know is that those risk factors are associated with excessive consumption of sugars and other bad carbs and NOT fats and dietary cholesterol. Here are a few heart disease calculators to further reassure you: http://hp2010.nhlbihin.net/atpiii/calcul… http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Ato… http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-d… One more thing. For those who are worried about low HDL, getting adequate Vitamin D3 (2000 IU/day for most people who don't spend a lot of time in the sun without sunblock) can raise HDL in a hurry.

Question: What does extra high HDL Cholesterol mean? I have 4.0 mmol/L (LDL is 3.6 and Trig 0.5).Shouldn't this be good? My doctor just said the Cholesterol is extremely high and gave some medicine (Caduet 5/40)which gives me tightness on the chest and un- well feeling.Couln't I just make some lifestyle changes like reduce wine and cut down cheese? Otherwise I have good diet with heaps of seafood, olive oil and no butter.I am not overweight, don't smoke and don't have family history of heart disease. I am 52. Although I have high blood pressure as I have drunk too much wine. Have cut it to two glases now as on this medication. Please explain this high HDL, heart foundation person hadn't heard about it before and thouhgt it must be a mistake.

Answer: Hi there. The medical terms for what you have is hyperalphalipoproteinemia . You do make too much HDL - HIgh Density Cholesterol - or at least you were when you had the blood test. It's likely that you have a genetic tendency to this level. While HDL is considered to be the "good" cholesterol, when Dr's take your total cholesterol level, HDL is part of that, so if that is elevated, your total will be too! You can look at the HDL:LDL ratio, which in your case would be good. While drinking alcohol does increase HDL, it does not to the extent that you describe in your post. If you were drinking a lot, I would have expected your TRIG to be high too - as this is elevated in drinkers. I suspect some of the clues are the fact that none of your family have heart disease, and I would say there is a chance you have inherited this high HDL or hyperalphalipoproteinemia (HALP) All up, the lipid profile you describe above is not atherogenic (causing heart disease) and I suspect that the medication - which is for lowering BP and cholesterol will help your BP, but will have little effect on the HDL cholesterol as atorvastatin tends to affect LDL, and in some cases can RAISE HDL!! Your diet sounds great, so just see how you go, but if you have any brothers or sisters, or your parents are still alive it would be worth seeing if any of the have raised HDL. Dr P

Question: High HDL/LDL cholesterol? So my LDL cholesterol is slightly elevated (109), but then my HDL cholesterol seems really high (113). Can HDL get too high? Everywhere I read, the recommended range is much lower than what I have

Answer: Actually, HDL is your good cholesterol, so that fact that it is high is great...it puts you at much less risk for heart problems because it helps against your bad cholesterol. Your LDL (bad cholesterol) should, in a perfect world, be below 100 but 109 is still near perfect. You're lucky, whatever you're doing, keep doing it!

Question: What does it mean if one has high cholesterol(240) but the LDL is (126),HDL is (92)and triglycerides are(106)? The HDL of 92 is considered to be abnormally high but I have read that the higher your HDL's are, the more you are protected against heart disease. I am very confused - a total of 240 cholesterol is supposed to be bad but if the HDL's are higher than normal what do these numbers really mean? Would someone with these given levels need to consider medication? If so wouldn't the medication lower the good cholesterol (HDL's) too?

Answer: Depending on the equipment used, the normal range for this blood tests is a little different. I don't know where Rachel got her numbers but they are way off. I don't know if you are familiar with the Mayo Clinic but this is considered to be one of the top facilities in this country. Presidents, royalty, and rich people from other countries are treated there because of the excellence of care. Mayo Clinics normals for these tests are: cholesterol less than 200 triglycerides less than 150 hdl 40 or less ldl 100 or less] It is a very complex relationship between these test results. You want the hdl to be high....the higher the better. You want the ldl to be as low as possible. cholesterol and triglycerides also are the best when low. Your triglycerides are good. If your cholesterol is over 200 it is too high. However if it is only 10 or 15 points above 200 it may be acceptable but only if your hdl is over 100. Not to many people have an hdl that high however. So, your cholesterol is high enough to need treatment. Some people are successful at getting it down through diet alone. This would involve avoiding saturated fats and limiting all fatty foods. Whole grains can also help bring it down. Your cholesterol should be rechecked after you've tried the diet approach if you choose to try this. Ask your doctor for more info on the diet he/she recommends and how soon you would need to recheck the cholesterol level. There are excellent medications available if diet doesn't work or you don't want to try the diet route. An hdl of 92 is good but not enough to warrant not treating the cholesterol of 240. ldl is the bad cholesterol. At 126 plus the 240 cholesterol you need to take some kind of immediate action. Talk to your doctor please.

Question: Cholesterol - High HDL but Low LDL? I just got back the results of lab test done for a life insurance application. I'm a bit confused. Could someone tell me if this is bad? My cholesterol is 203 - the normal range is 160-210 mg/dL (the above has me a bit worried as it is a high normal) My HDL is 88 - the normal range of 45-80 mg/dL My LDL (Calc.) is 82 - the normal range of 90-130 mg/dL My Chol/HDL Ratio is 2.3. (normal is <5.0) My LDL/HDL Ratio is 0.9. (normal is 1.5-5.5) Thanks for the help! I was not told to fast for this test. I ate 3-4 hours before the test. I am almost 32.

Answer: You values are actually quite good. HDL is the "good" cholseterol and yours is high. LDL is the "bad" cholesterol and yours is low. When we treat patients for high cholesterol, we aim to get their LDL below 100 and you are already there without medicine. As far as fasting, generally we tell people not to eat or drink anything except water after midnight before the test - so fasting for about 8 hours would have been best, but your total cholesterol and LDL would have been higher had you not fasted appropriately. I would not worry about these results at all!!!!

Question: Why is it called High Density Lipid? HDL Cholesterol? Is it true high amounts of lipid intake is generally bad? So what is the HDL actually referring to? Is it referring to the HDL Cholesterol being able to allow more fatty acid to travel through arteries, so less “cloggage�? Thanks Chemists should be able to answer this

Answer: Actually, it is not a chemical question. :) Cholesterol is insoluble in blood, but is transported in the circulatory system bound to one of the varieties of lipoprotein, spherical particles which have an exterior composed mainly of water-soluble proteins. The main types, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) carry cholesterol from and to the liver. HDL are the smallest of the lipoproteins. They are the densest because they contain the highest proportion of protein. LDL transports cholesterol to arteries, whereas HDL transports cholesterol from arteries to liver for disposal. Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol

Question: I would like know about high density lipoprotein cholesterol range? High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) is known as "good" cholesterol, so if we have high HDL- C that is better for our hearts. But I don't know how high HDL-C is good. For example, my brother is 47years old. His HDL-C is 82mg/dl. I wonder it is good? Would you please help me to find out the answer. Thank you very much for your time.

Answer: 60 mg/dL or higher- is considered protective against heart disease. Less than 40 mg/dL for men- is too low Less than 50 mg/dL for women- is too low Of course too low is a major risk factor for heart disease So, with this guideline set by the American Heart Association even...Your brother is doing just wonderfully. Good Luck!!

Question: High cholesterol but my HDL is higher than my LDL..? I'm 20, female, I weigh 103 lbs. I had a blood test done last month and my cholesterol levels were high: Total cholesterol: 5.2 mmol/L (normal range 3.5 - 5.0) I was surprised because I'm a runner.. I go for 4 mile jog every morning.. I also swim or cycle 2-3 times a week.. I play badminton on the weekends. I go to college and I'm physically very active. my diet isn't perfect but its pretty good. My doctor wanted me to have some follow up tests done, HDL and LDL, I got the results back today: HDL: 2.7 mmol/L (normal range >1.0) LDL: 2.1 mmol/L (normal range <2.5) Shouldn't the HDL + LDL add up to total cholesterol (2.7 + 2.1 = 4.8 not 5.2)? My doctor says I don't have to worry about these results.. I'm not worried.. I'm just confused. Could someone please explain this to me? I know HDL = good and LDL = bad but I don't understand why I have high cholesterol.

Answer: Thank you for the question. Don't worry, because you do NOT have high cholesterol. 5.2 mmol/L, or 201 mg/dL, is technically "borderline" high cholesterol, although I would classify your value as normal. normal cholesterol: < 200 mg/dL borderline high: 200-239 mg/dL high: 240 mg/dL and above. Your good cholesterol (HDL) of 2.7 mmol/L, or 104 mg/dL, is phenomenal! I've never seen any HDL greater than 100. Your bad cholesterol (LDL) , which is the target of treatment, is 2.1 mmol/L, or 81 mg/dL, is excellent! Assuming you have no risk factors for heart disease (premature family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, or cigarette smoking), you actually have minus one risk factors for heart disease ( the fact that your HDL is 60 mg/dL or above counts as a minus 1 risk factor). Having zero (or less) risk factors for heart disease means that your goal LDL is less than 160 mg/dL, and you clearly surpass that goal. No, the HDL plus LDL does not equal the total cholesterol, because you must take into account your level of triglycerides, which is the other type of fat. LDL cholesterol = total cholesterol - HDL - triglcyerides/5. (Friedewald equation) I hope this helps.