What is considered a desirable VLDL level?

• A. <30 mg/dL
• B. <50 mg/dL
• C. <20 mg/dL
• D. <40 mg/dL

Answer: (A)

A desirable VLDL level is low because VLDL carries triglycerides from the liver to tissues, and higher VLDL-C is associated with greater cardiovascular risk. In practice, VLDL-C is often estimated from triglycerides by dividing by 5, so a VLDL level under 30 mg/dL corresponds to a triglyceride level around 150 mg/dL or lower. This threshold is widely used as a target in lipid risk assessment, making less than 30 mg/dL the conventional desirable level.

Choosing a value under 20 mg/dL would be unusually low and not a standard target in guidelines, while targets like under 40 or under 50 mg/dL are higher than the typical desirable cut point and not used as the standard goal for VLDL-C.