Triglycerides and Cholesterol

The basics of understanding blood glucose, body fat, and metabolic health

Understanding Triglyceride and Cholesterol Levels

Key summary

In a blood lipid test, the values within the metabolic syndrome criteria are triglycerides below 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) and HDL cholesterol of 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) or higher for men and 1.3 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) or higher for women. For LDL cholesterol, below 2.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) is optimal and 4.1 mmol/L (160 mg/dL) or higher is high (Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis 2022). Triglycerides and HDL are two of the five metabolic syndrome items.

Lipids (fatty substances) in the blood have different meanings depending on the type. In metabolic health, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol are considered especially important, because both are part of the diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome. They often move together with abdominal obesity and high blood glucose.

Blood lipid reference table

Item	Optimal	Borderline	High / Low
Total cholesterol	Below 5.2 mmol/L (200 mg/dL)	5.2–6.1 (200–239 mg/dL)	6.2 mmol/L (240 mg/dL) or higher: high
LDL cholesterol	Below 2.6 (100 mg/dL): optimal 2.6–3.3 (100–129 mg/dL): near optimal	3.4–4.0 (130–159 mg/dL)	4.1–4.8 (160–189 mg/dL): high 4.9 or higher (190 mg/dL): very high
HDL cholesterol	1.6 (60 mg/dL) or higher: high (desirable)	—	Below 1.0 (40 mg/dL): low Metabolic syndrome criterion: below 1.0 (40 mg/dL) for men, below 1.3 (50 mg/dL) for women
Triglycerides	Below 1.7 (150 mg/dL)	1.7–2.2 (150–199 mg/dL)	2.3–5.5 (200–499 mg/dL): high 5.6 or higher (500 mg/dL): very high

Units: mmol/L, with mg/dL in brackets. Classification from the Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia, 5th edition (2022). Metabolic syndrome item criteria are from the KDCA National Health Information Portal.

Lipids in numbers

24.5%

Hypercholesterolemia in adults

KDCA 2025 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

74.2%

High LDL cholesterol among people with diabetes

Korean Diabetes Association 2024

15.9%

Combined control rate for blood glucose, blood pressure, and LDL

Korean Diabetes Association 2024

Management basics

Triglycerides

Cutting back on sweet drinks, sweets, alcohol, and refined carbohydrates, and doing aerobic exercise steadily, often lowers triglycerides.

HDL cholesterol

Regular aerobic exercise, quitting smoking, and weight management are the basics for keeping HDL up.

LDL cholesterol

Reduce saturated and trans fats. If your level is high, talk to your health care provider about whether to start treatment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the normal range for triglycerides?

Below 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) is optimal. 1.7–2.2 (150–199 mg/dL) is borderline, 2.3–5.5 (200–499 mg/dL) is high, and 5.6 mmol/L (500 mg/dL) or higher is very high (Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis 2022). For a metabolic syndrome diagnosis, this item is met at 1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or higher, or if you are on medication.

Is a higher HDL cholesterol always better?

HDL carries cholesterol from the blood vessels to the liver, so it is called “good cholesterol.” Below 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) is considered low, and 1.6 mmol/L (60 mg/dL) or higher is considered desirable. The metabolic syndrome criterion is below 1.0 mmol/L (40 mg/dL) for men and below 1.3 mmol/L (50 mg/dL) for women.

What are the LDL cholesterol cutoffs?

Below 2.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) is optimal, 2.6–3.3 (100–129 mg/dL) is near optimal, 3.4–4.0 (130–159 mg/dL) is borderline, 4.1–4.8 (160–189 mg/dL) is high, and 4.9 mmol/L (190 mg/dL) or higher is very high. Target levels differ depending on risk, such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease, so talk to your health care provider.

Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis, Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia, 5th edition (2022)
KDCA National Health Information Portal, “Metabolic Syndrome”
KDCA, announcement of 2025 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey results (30 September 2026)
Korean Diabetes Association, Diabetes Fact Sheets in Korea 2024 (Diabetes Metab J 2025;49:24-33), based on Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2021–2022