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Company
Lipids
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Currently under review
Pending specialist review and validation.
Triglycerides are a type of fat your body uses for energy. They come from the food you eat and can also be made in your liver, then travel in your bloodstream inside particles that also carry cholesterol. This test measures the amount of triglycerides circulating in your blood.
Your triglycerides are often checked as part of a lipid panel. The sample can be taken without fasting, although your clinician may sometimes ask for an overnight fast to help interpret results consistently and compare values over time.
Triglyceride levels reflect how your body handles fats and sugars. Higher levels are linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, especially when combined with other risk factors such as low HDL cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, or features of metabolic syndrome. Very high levels can also be associated with inflammation of the pancreas, which can be serious.
Clinicians order this test for routine cardiovascular risk assessment, to evaluate conditions like diabetes, obesity, thyroid or kidney problems, and to monitor the effects of lifestyle changes or medications that influence lipids. Knowing your level helps guide steps in nutrition, physical activity, weight management, and whether drug therapy should be considered.
Your result is interpreted in the context of your overall health, diet, alcohol intake, weight, family history, and the rest of your lipid panel. If your sample was not fasting and the value seems higher than expected, your clinician may repeat the test after an overnight fast to confirm. Persistently elevated results can point to insulin resistance, genetic factors, or secondary causes that can often be identified and addressed.
If your level is higher, a care plan may include reducing refined carbohydrates and alcohol, choosing healthy fats, increasing physical activity, and weight loss if appropriate. Managing conditions like diabetes or hypothyroidism can improve triglycerides. Some people benefit from medications such as statins, fibrates, or prescription omega-3 fatty acids. Your clinician will tailor follow up and may recheck levels after changes to see how you respond.
Reference intervals vary by laboratory, analyzer, methodology, population, and units. The ranges shown here are for education only. Always interpret your results against the reference interval printed on your own lab report.
Eating within a few hours of the blood draw can raise triglycerides. An overnight fast often provides a more stable baseline when your clinician needs a consistent comparison.
Meals high in sugars or refined carbohydrates, and alcohol intake, can temporarily increase triglycerides by boosting fat production in the liver and raising post-meal levels.
Oral estrogens, steroids, certain beta blockers, thiazide diuretics, retinoids, atypical antipsychotics, and some HIV medicines can raise triglycerides. Prescription omega-3 products and fibrates can lower them.
Diabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, and liver disease can elevate triglycerides. Treating these conditions often improves results.
Acute illness, infection, or significant physiological stress can temporarily change triglyceride levels. Results may return toward your usual baseline once you recover.
Triglycerides naturally rise during pregnancy and with some hormone therapies. Your clinician will interpret results with these changes in mind.
Vigorous exercise shortly before testing can transiently affect triglycerides. Keeping a similar routine before each test helps with consistent comparisons.
Proper collection and prompt processing support accurate results. Prolonged tourniquet time or delayed processing can slightly alter measured triglycerides.
References