Glossary

Metabolic Health Glossary

Fasting blood glucoseFasting Plasma Glucose

Blood glucose measured after fasting for at least 8 hours. Below 5.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) is normal.

HbA1cHbA1c

The percentage of haemoglobin in red blood cells that has glucose attached to it. It reflects your average blood glucose over the past 2 to 3 months.

Impaired fasting glucoseImpaired Fasting Glucose

A fasting blood glucose of 5.6–6.9 mmol/L (100–125 mg/dL). It is a form of prediabetes.

Impaired glucose toleranceImpaired Glucose Tolerance

A 2-hour blood glucose of 7.8–11.0 mmol/L (140–199 mg/dL) on a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test.

InsulinInsulin

A hormone released from the pancreas that moves glucose from the blood into cells and lowers blood glucose.

Insulin resistanceInsulin Resistance

A state in which the body does not respond well even though insulin is released, making blood glucose harder to control.

Body mass indexBMI

Weight (kg) divided by the square of height (m). In Korea, a BMI of 25 or higher is considered obesity.

Abdominal obesityAbdominal Obesity

By Korean criteria, a waist circumference of 90 cm or more for men and 85 cm or more for women.

Visceral fatVisceral Fat

Fat that builds up around the organs inside the abdominal cavity. It is closely linked to metabolic risk.

TriglyceridesTriglyceride

A type of fat in the blood. A level of 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or higher counts as one of the metabolic syndrome criteria.

HDL cholesterolHDL Cholesterol

A lipoprotein that carries cholesterol from the blood vessels to the liver. The lower it is, the higher the metabolic risk.

Metabolic syndromeMetabolic Syndrome

A condition in which three or more of five metabolic risk factors appear together.

• KDCA National Health Information Portal, “Diabetes”
• KDCA National Health Information Portal, “Obesity”
• KDCA National Health Information Portal, “Metabolic Syndrome”