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You should discuss these high HDL levels with your physician or a cardiologist. While conventional wisdom is that high-HDL is protective against cardiovascular disease, a recent study proposed a limit to this benefit when scientists discovered that HDL beyond 70mg/dl are not protective and may actually increase the risk of coronary artery disease. Though this association is not definite, a reasonable target would be to keep your total cholesterol below 200, and your LDL below 100. Another key goal would be to modify other cardiovascular risks that can be reduced or eliminated, including smoking, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and obesity.   Very high HDL levels can be genetic, or they may be related to an external factor, including the following possiblities:       Vigorous and sustained aerobic exercise, such as long distance running Regular consumption of large amounts of alcohol Treatment with a number of medications: oral estrogens, nicotinic acid (niacin) at doses greater than 1 g/d, the antiseizure medication phenytoin (Dilantin), and fibrates (bezafibrate, clofibrate, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil)