Triglycerides are the main storage form of fat in the body, circulating in lipoproteins that carry energy from the gut and the liver to tissues. The test reflects fat handling and is closely tied to carbohydrate metabolism and insulin action. Within the lipid profile it speaks for metabolic state as much as for cardiovascular risk.
No readings for this marker yet.
Raised triglycerides are seen most often after recent food or alcohol, and with obesity, insulin resistance, poorly controlled diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney and liver disease, and certain inherited lipid disorders; markedly high values also raise concern for pancreatitis. Low values are less commonly meaningful and may accompany malnutrition, malabsorption or an overactive thyroid. Because day-to-day variation is wide, an abnormal result is usually confirmed on a repeat sample before any conclusion is drawn with a doctor.
Fasting matters more here than for other lipids, and alcohol, an acute illness and pregnancy all push the result up; several medicines, including beta blockers, some antipsychotics and estrogen-containing preparations, are known to affect it, while fibrates are given to lower it. High triglycerides also make calculated LDL cholesterol unreliable, so the result is read together with total and HDL cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B, and with glucose or HbA1c when metabolic causes are being considered.
Reference ranges are general adult values and depend on lab, assay, age and sex. For orientation, not diagnosis — discuss results with your doctor.