HDL is often called the “good” cholesterol because it helps carry other cholesterol out of your arteries and back to your liver. With HDL, a higher number is generally better. Here is how to read yours.
High-density lipoprotein, or HDL, is one of the packages that carries cholesterol in your blood. HDL helps move cholesterol away from your arteries and back to your liver, where it can be removed. Because of that role, a higher HDL level is generally protective, which is the opposite of how LDL works.
HDL is reported in mg/dL on your lipid panel. Unlike most lab values, here you generally want the number to be higher. A very low HDL can be a risk signal for heart disease. Your clinician reads HDL alongside your LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides rather than on its own.
A low HDL can be influenced by physical inactivity, smoking, excess weight, type 2 diabetes, and genetics. On its own it is not a diagnosis. It is one part of your heart-disease risk picture, and your clinician will weigh it against your other results and health history.
Upload your lipid panel and Mednex explains HDL, LDL, and triglycerides together, then keeps the trend so you can see change over time.
Decode my labsContent last reviewed 9 July 2026. Reference ranges vary by laboratory; always read your results against the range printed on your own report.
This page explains a common lab marker in general terms using public information from the U.S. National Library of Medicine and other NIH sources. It is educational and is not a diagnosis or medical advice. Reference ranges differ between laboratories and the meaning of a result depends on your age, sex, medications, and overall health. Always discuss your own results with the clinician who ordered them.