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LIPID PANEL
Also printed as: TG · Trigs · Serum triglycerides
Educational only — not medical advice.
Triglycerides are the most common type of fat in your body and the form your body uses to store extra energy. The blood level rises after eating and falls with fasting. It is the most meal-sensitive number on a lipid panel by a wide margin.
Triglycerides connect the lipid panel to how your body is handling sugar and energy, which is why they are often read next to glucose and A1c. They also move fast, so they respond visibly to changes across a few weeks.
TYPICAL ADULT RANGE
Many labs report under 150 mg/dL as desirable for a fasting adult sample. Ranges vary by lab, and non-fasting samples read higher. Reported in mg/dL.
Reference ranges vary by lab, by method, and by age and sex. Always read your own result against the range printed on your report.
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Low triglycerides are generally not treated as a concern. A longer fast, a lower-carbohydrate eating pattern, and genetics all produce low values. Occasionally an overactive thyroid or a malabsorption issue contributes. There is nothing to act on from a low result by itself.
The single most common reason for a high triglyceride result is that the sample was not truly fasting — a meal, a sweetened drink, or alcohol in the 12 hours before the draw can raise it substantially, and alcohol the night before is a classic culprit. Beyond the draw itself, higher carbohydrate or alcohol intake, extra body weight, lower thyroid activity, pregnancy, some medications, and genetics all contribute. Because it moves so much, doctors commonly repeat a high value on a properly fasted sample before reading anything into it, and a very high result is a reason to check in with your doctor rather than wait.
Your doctor is the one who can read this number against your history, symptoms, and medications.
Educational only — not medical advice. Lab results only mean something alongside your history, symptoms, medications, and the rest of your panel. Bring questions to your doctor; they are the one who can interpret your results for you.
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