How to Read Triglycerides Test Strips

Triglycerides are a form of fat and the body's way to store fat. You are usually required to fast before you take a triglycerides test and read the test strips. This is because after you eat, there are extra triglycerides in your blood as they travel to fat tissue to be stored. Fasting ensures more accurate test results.

Instructions

• 1

  Familiarize yourself with the test's purpose. The triglycerides test is a blood test that measures the amount of triglycerides in your blood. It is usually done on chemical test strips that change color according to your triglyceride level.

• 2

  Take the test at a health fair, at your doctor's office or at home. It is done as part of a full blood screening to evaluate your risk for getting heart disease. It is often given in conjunction with cholesterol tests.

• 3

  See your dietary habits reflected in your test results. High triglycerides are a sign that you have too much fat in your diet. It is also possible for you to have triglyceride levels that are too low. The test will not show whether you have any diseases, but it does indicate possible underlying disorders.

• 4

  Read your results according to the chart that came with the test strips. You (or your doctor) will compare the colors on the results chart with the ones on your test strip. This will give you a count of how many mg of triglycerides are in each deciliter of blood. Your test might instead give you a digital reading of your exact number.

• 5

  Measure your results the following way: Very high risk is a range of 500 mg/dL or more. A high risk is 200 to 499 mg/dL. A moderate risk is 150 to 1990 mg/dL of triglycerides in your blood. Finally, a normal level is less than 150 mg/dL.

• 6

  Raise your HDL cholesterol for health benefits. High blood triglycerides are associated with low levels of HDL cholesterol, a substance which is necessary for good health. The risk of coronary disease goes up in people who have such a relationship between triglycerides and HDL. People whose triglyceride/HDL ratios are less than 2 have a low risk of heart disease.