Triglycerides

Measured in mg/dL

A type of fat circulating in your blood that's strongly affected by what and when you last ate.

What it is

Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in your body; this test measures how much is circulating in your blood at the moment of the draw. The number is quite sensitive to short-term factors — recent meals, alcohol, and illness can all move it — so a single result can be misleading, and labs often ask for a fasting sample for this reason. Triglycerides are commonly reviewed alongside HDL, glucose, and other metabolic markers, since elevated levels can be associated with how the body is handling sugar and fat overall.

Typical range

  • Adultsunder 150 mg/dL

Source · NCEP ATP III (Normal) (2002)

Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and what is normal for you depends on your own history. Your own lab’s range is the one printed on your report.

Worth asking your clinician

  • Was I fasting appropriately for this test, and could that have affected the result?
  • Does this number look like a one-off, or would repeating it at another visit be useful?
  • How does my triglyceride level fit with the rest of my metabolic and lipid results?