Triglycerides and Cholesterol

Understanding Triglyceride and Cholesterol Levels

Key summary

In a blood lipid test, the values within the metabolic syndrome criteria are triglycerides below 150 mg/dL and HDL cholesterol of 40 mg/dL or higher for men and 50 mg/dL or higher for women. For LDL cholesterol, below 100 mg/dL is optimal and 160 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 200 mg/dL	200–239	240 or higher: high
LDL cholesterol	Below 100: optimal 100–129: near optimal	130–159	160–189: high 190 or higher: very high
HDL cholesterol	60 or higher: high (desirable)	—	Below 40: low Metabolic syndrome criterion: below 40 for men, below 50 for women
Triglycerides	Below 150	150–199	200–499: high 500 or higher: very high

Unit: mg/dL. 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 150 mg/dL is optimal. 150–199 is borderline, 200–499 is high, and 500 or higher is very high (Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis 2022). For a metabolic syndrome diagnosis, this item is met at 150 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 40 mg/dL is considered low, and 60 or higher is considered desirable. The metabolic syndrome criterion is below 40 mg/dL for men and below 50 mg/dL for women.

What are the LDL cholesterol cutoffs?

Below 100 mg/dL is optimal, 100–129 is near optimal, 130–159 is borderline, 160–189 is high, and 190 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 (Sept. 30, 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