Objective To explore the correlation of blood lipid profile with the diagnostic indicators of sarcopenia and its occurrence. Methods A total of 1 534 elderly people in a community in Suzhou were recruited using convenience sampling method, and their general information, blood lipid levels, and body composition were collected. Handgrip strength and six-meter usual gait speed were measured. According to the Asian Sarcopenia Working Group 2019 Consensus Update on Sarcopenia Diagnosis, they were divided into sarcopenia group and non-sarcopenia group. The two groups were compared in blood lipid profile to explore its correlation with sarcopenia. SPSS statistics 23.0 was used for statistical analysis. Data comparison between two groups was perfomed using t test, Mann-Whitney U test or χ² test depending on data type. Crrelation and regression analysis were also performed. Results The very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [(0.49±0.18) vs (0.53±0.29) mmol/L], triglyceride (TG) [(1.57±0.92) vs (1.76±1.22) mmol/L], and triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (TG/HDL-C) [(1.26±1.10) vs (1.52±1.39)] were significantly lower in the sarcopenic population than the non-sarcopenic population (P＜0.05). The HDL-C [(1.45±0.37) vs (1.31±0.32) mmol/L; P＜0.01] and total cholesterol (TC) [(5.17±1.03) vs (4.97±0.96) mmol/L；P＜0.05] were significantly higher in the sarcopenic population than the non-sarcopenic population. Compared with non-sarcopenic population, the incidence of high TG [29.10% (55/189) vs 36.28% (488/1 345); P＜0.05] in sarcopenic population was lower, and that of high TC [48.15% (91/189) vs 36.88% (496/1 345); P<0.01] was significantly higher. At the same time, the appendicular skeletal muscle mass index was negatively correlated with the level of HDL-C and TC (r=-0.289, -0.202; P<0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age (OR=1.121,95%CI 1.091-1.152) and high HDL-C level (OR=2.133,95%CI 1.206-3.773) were risk factors for sarcopenia (P＜0.01), and that male gender(OR=0.539,95%CI 0.372-0.781) and comorbidity with other chronic diseases (OR=0.599, 95%CI 0.413-0.868) were protective factors for sarcopenia (P＜0.01). Conclusion Elevated HDL-C is associated with decreased skeletal muscle mass and is a risk factor for sarcopenia. In physical examination in a community, more attention should be paid to the elderly people with high HDL-C levels in changes of muscle mass and function, and they should be screened for pre-sarcopenia and sarcopenia if necessary.