My HDL cholesterol is 120. Is this a problem?

An HDL cholesterol level of 120 mg/dL is considered very high. This might seem like a blessing since low HDL levels are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, but very high HDL levels might also increase your heart disease risk.

That said, it's unlikely that you have a problem. Very high HDL levels (above 100) can be caused by several things besides disease, such as:

- Genetics

- Exercise

- Estrogen (from birth control, pregnancy, or hormone therapy)

- Nicotine (from smoking or nicotine gum or patches)