Why is your HDL higher than your LDL?

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:

  Wow, congratulations on your outstanding lipid profile! First of all, "cholesterol" itself isn't a bad thing, especially when it's in the HDL (High-density lipoprotein) form. This form takes cholesterol away from blood vessels and other end organs back to the liver to use again, which lowers your incidence of heart disease. LDL deposits cholesterol on blood vessels and is associated with higher incidence of heart disease. Now there are other lipoproteins that are measured in the "total cholesterol" number. VLDL (very low density lipoprotein) is sometimes not reported, but included in the total cholesterol number. I bet this would make up the disparity in your total cholesterol number. The fact that your HDL is higher than your LDL is probably because you're young, female, and fit. High LDL is more associated with old overweight men, so genetics and time are certainly in your favor at the moment. Who knows why your total cholesterol is slightly above the normal range? I think you could just thank your good genes (and gender) that so much of your cholesterol is in the HDL form and actually protective against heart disease.