Triglycerides Test

What is a triglycerides test?

A triglycerides test is a blood test that measures the amount of a fat in your blood called triglycerides. High blood triglyceride levels may increase your risk for heart disease and stroke. A triglycerides test can help you decide if you need to take action to lower your risk.

Some triglycerides are important for good health. Your body uses them for energy. If you eat more calories than you need, your body turns the extra calories into triglycerides and stores them in your fat cells to use later. When your body needs energy, your cells release triglycerides into your bloodstream to provide fuel for your muscles to work.

But high triglyceride levels in your blood may affect your arteries and increase your risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack, and blood vessel disorders. Extremely high levels of triglycerides also increase the risk of acute pancreatitis in adults and children.

High blood triglycerides are very common and have many possible causes, including:

• Eating a lot of foods that are high in fat and sugar, and other simple carbohydrates or "carbs," such as foods made with white flour
• Not getting enough exercise
• Having certain medical conditions, such as:
  • Kidney or liver disease
  • Thyroid disease
  • Diabetes that's not well-controlled
  • Being overweight or having obesity
  • Alcohol use disorder (AUD)
  • Inherited conditions (passed down through families)
• Taking certain medicines, such as diuretics (water pills) and some that treat breast cancer, and HIV

High blood triglyceride levels usually don't cause any symptoms, so routine testing is important to help you find and treat high triglyceride levels before they harm your health.

Other names for a triglycerides test: TG, TRIG, lipid panel, fasting lipoprotein panel

What is it used for?

A triglycerides test is used to understand your risk for heart disease, stroke, and other conditions that involve your arteries, such as peripheral arterial disease. The test is also used to help monitor heart conditions and treatments to lower your risk of heart disease.

A triglycerides test is usually done as part of a group of tests called a lipid profile. Lipid is another word for fat. A lipid profile measures the level of fats in your blood, including triglycerides and cholesterol.

Information from a lipid profile helps your health care provider calculate your risk for a heart attack or stroke. High blood levels of triglycerides with high LDL (bad) cholesterol and/or low HDL (good) cholesterol can increase your risk.

Why do I need a triglycerides test?

Your provider may order a lipid profile, including a blood triglycerides test, as part of a routine checkup. If you are being treated for high cholesterol and/or triglycerides, you may also need this test to see how well your treatment is working.

How often you need a lipid profile test depends on your age, sex, family history, and your risk of developing heart disease. Ask your provider how often you need to have your blood lipid levels tested.

These are the general recommendations for testing blood lipid levels, including triglycerides, in healthy people:

• For people who are age 19 or younger:
  • The first test should be between ages 9 and 11.
  • Children should have the test again every 5 years.
  • Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke.
• For people who are ages 20 to 65:
  • Younger adults should have the test every 5 years.
  • Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years.
• For people older than 65:
  • They should be tested every year.

You may need to be tested more often if you already have heart disease or have a higher risk for heart disease because you:

• Have a family health history of early heart disease. That means your father or brother had heart disease before age 55 and/or your mother or sister had heart disease before age 65.
• Smoke.
• Have excess weight or obesity.
• Have unhealthy eating habits and/or don't get enough exercise.
• Have prediabetes or diabetes.
• Have high blood pressure.

What happens during a triglycerides test?

During the test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial. You may feel a little sting when the needle goes in or out. This usually takes less than five minutes.

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test?

You may need to fast (not eat or drink) for 9 to 12 hours before your blood is drawn. Your provider will let you know if you need to fast and if there are any special instructions to follow.

Are there any risks to the test?

There is very little risk to having a blood test. You may have slight pain or bruising at the spot where the needle was put in, but most symptoms go away quickly.

What do the results mean?

Triglycerides are usually measured in milligrams (mg) of triglycerides per deciliter (dL) of blood. The commonly used guidelines for normal and higher levels of triglycerides in adults are:

Guidelines for children and teens are different than adults. Ask your child's provider to explain what your child's test results mean.

Triglyceride levels that are higher than normal may mean you have a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and other conditions that affect your arteries. Having high blood triglycerides also increases your risk of metabolic syndrome. Very high triglyceride levels increase your risk of sudden pancreatitis.

To lower your blood triglycerides, your provider may recommend lifestyle changes, such as:

• Eating heart-healthy foods and limiting added sugar and foods high in saturated fat
• Getting regular physical activity
• Aiming for a healthy weight
• Managing stress
• Quitting smoking
• Getting enough sleep
• Limiting alcohol

In certain cases, you may also need medicine to help lower your triglyceride levels. Before making any major changes to your diet or exercise routine, talk with your provider about what treatment is best for you.

Triglyceride levels that are too low are very uncommon.

Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.

Is there anything else I need to know about triglyceride tests?

If your blood triglyceride levels are borderline, your provider may order another blood test called apolipoprotein B or "apo B." The results of this test can help your provider understand how high your risk of heart and blood vessel problems may be. This can help you decide about the best treatment to lower your risk.