Extremely High HDL levels

[mme6103]

I just received my cholesterol test results, and my HDL levels are extremely high. The verified by repeat analysis, and I am wondering what this means. I know that HDL are the good cholesterols, but I was wondering if they should be this high.

Cholesterol, Total    208 H  mg/dL       (100-199) normal range
Triglycerides      101 mg/dL                 (0-149)
HDL Cholesterol     106 H  mg/dL        (40-59)

[janmom679]

oops -- I typed "right arm" but it should be "left arm"

[janmom679]

I also have high HDL.  My HDL is always over 135.  I am now a vegan because I get terrible shooting pains in my chest and also up the left side of my neck and down my right arm whenever I eat meat, cheese, chocolate, and nuts.  It happens within two hours of eating such items.  The pain goes away with a baby aspirin.  

Whenever I add any of these back to my diet, the pains come back.  I am 45 years old and have had this for the last twenty years.  Until the doctors catch up, I recommend listening to your body and making the changes that make your body feel good.  

I assume that somewhere in my genetics was a vegan group that didn't eat many nuts and therefore the body created a system of increasing HDL accordingly.  

[mizzemm]

I really wish they would get their facts straight on this. With a total cholesterol of 230, HDL-100, LDL 121 and triglycerides 62, I have a great ratio of TC/HDL (2.3) but I'm still told I need to improve my cholesterol. I'm a vegetarian - yes, I eat cheese and I drink, but I'm a doing a hell of a lot better than the average American diet, and I exercise, live in NYC so walk a lot, etc. Short of becoming vegan, which I'd rather die of heart disease in a second than do, there's not much more I can do to be healthy and still a normal human being with a life. After reading this thread, I'm either dying of a rare hereditary disease, perfectly healthy, amazingly healthy, or probably an alcoholic. Figure out cholesterol docs, and stop putting people on meds haphazardly.

[jrbon]

Hyperalphalipoproteinemia or HALP is defined as having an HDL level above 82 mg per deciliter.

Some articles like this one indicates that can be dangerous:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/126930-causes-high-hdl/#ixzz2EsLl1FSg

Others indicate that there is not much a problem:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/121187-overview

And serious ones says that in some cases can be dangerous:
http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/24/3/526.full.pdf

So as you can see there is not a clear answer. My sister have it and her doctor is trying to bring the HDL down.

Jesus

[max019]

My doc is similarly unsure as to whether high HDL at 118 is a worry or not.  LDL is in great shape, but I do take Simvastatin.  HDL has risen slowly after last few years and I am cutting medication (per doc) in half to 20mg/day to see what occurs.  He is working in the dark, but since LDL is managed, this does sound reasonable.
It would be nice for folks to post studies or articles as this seems to be an odd (or at least relatively new) discussion regarding HDL.
As to the person regarding a link between Osteoperosis and high HDL, I am interested in that information as I have pervasive OA. Possibly similar?

[MMLA]

Hi, I also have relatively high HDL that have been increasing during the years. HDL now is 103 and have had osteoporosis and treatment in the last 4 years. Could this be the reason?

[ed34]

Exercise will raise HDL anyway because after you burn the instant fast activating energy (carbs etc) then you will have to resort to fat.