Normal Triglyceride Levels

Triglycerides, a chemical compound consisting of three fatty acids and one glycerol molecule, make up the bulk of the fat humans consume and store for future energy use. According to the American Heart Association, awareness and testing of triglyceride levels is important for maintaining a healthy body.

Levels

• The National Cholesterol Education Program considers normal triglyceride levels to be less than 150 mg/dL, with higher levels considered an excess and levels higher than 200 mg/dL a potential health risk.

Testing

• A doctor can check triglyceride levels through a standalone blood test or as part of an overall cholesterol screening. As triglyceride levels go up or down based on fat consumption, fasting the night before is required.

Misconceptions

• Having a high metabolism does not negate the effect of having high triglyceride levels and neither does a lack of family history. Body types differ and hormones are the main mechanism for triglyceride removal from fat before energy release. A person with a high metabolism can have an underlying hormone problem or medical condition that interferes with this process.

Prevention/Solution

• Alcohol consumption, high cholesterol, lack of exercise and a high carbohydrate or saturated/trans fat diet increase the risk of abnormal triglyceride levels. Diet and life changes can reverse this process.

Warning

• High triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia), considered a metabolic syndrome risk factor, can exacerbate existing health problems such as diabetes, increase the risk of coronary artery disease, inflame the pancreas (pancreatitis) and force fat into liver cells, causing a nonalcoholic version fatty liver disease (NAFLD).