What is an elevated hdl level?

A goood measure: Cholesterol levels are indirect measures of the different lipoproteins within our bodies. It is actually the lipoproteins that determine the degree of inflammation and atherosclerosis. Hdl cholesterol is a measure of the amount of cholesterol in the high density lipoproteins, or hdl. The higher that cholesterol fraction the higher the concentration of hdl. High density lipoproteins are protective.

High is good: Hdl - high density lipoprotein cholesterol - healthy cholesterol. One would want the level to be at least 40 mg/dl in men and at least 50 mg/dl in women. There's no side effects with a high hdl, so higher is better. Values over 70 mg/dl are more protective against heart attacks.