Lab result explainedCholesterol and lipidsLast updated November 8, 2026

Triglycerides: what high and low triglyceride levels mean and how to lower them

Triglycerides (TG) · Lipid panel · reported in mg/dL in the US; mmol/L elsewhere (1 mmol/L = 88.5 mg/dL; 150 mg/dL = 1.7 mmol/L)

Triglycerides are the main form of fat in food and in your body, and a triglyceride blood test measures how much of that fat is circulating in your blood, packaged in lipoprotein particles. A fasting triglyceride under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) is normal, 150 to 199 is borderline high, 200 to 499 is high, and 500 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or more is very high. Roughly one in four US adults has a level over 150.

The two most common reasons triglycerides are high are insulin resistance (abdominal weight gain, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, usually with a low HDL) and diet, specifically excess sugar, refined carbohydrate and alcohol. These are also the reasons triglycerides are the most responsive lipid to lifestyle: cutting sugar and alcohol, losing 5 to 10 percent of body weight and exercising regularly can lower them by 20 to 50 percent within weeks, far more than the same changes do for LDL.

High triglycerides matter in two ways. At 150 to 499 mg/dL they are a marker and probably a contributor to atherosclerosis, and a persistent level of 175 or more is counted as a risk enhancer in the 2018 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association cholesterol guideline. At 500 and above, and especially above 1,000 mg/dL, the concern shifts to acute pancreatitis, a painful and sometimes life-threatening inflammation of the pancreas, which is why very high levels are treated urgently regardless of heart risk.

TG at a glance

  • What they are: the main form of fat in the body, carried in the blood inside VLDL and chylomicron particles; the lipid most sensitive to diet, alcohol and insulin resistance.
  • Normal fasting: under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L). Borderline high: 150–199. High: 200–499. Very high: 500 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) or more. Non-fasting under 175 is normal. Multiply mmol/L by 88.5 to convert.
  • Levels of 150 to 499 usually mean insulin resistance, excess sugar or alcohol, or a medication, and raise cardiovascular risk modestly; 500 or more raises the risk of acute pancreatitis, sharply above 1,000.
  • Low triglycerides (under about 50) are not a problem in themselves and usually reflect a lean, active person or a low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet; occasionally hyperthyroidism or malabsorption.
  • The triglyceride-to-HDL ratio (both in mg/dL) over 3.5 is a simple marker of insulin resistance.
  • Next step: repeat fasting if over 400, check glucose, A1C, TSH and medications, then cut sugar, refined carbohydrate and alcohol, lose weight and exercise; prescription omega-3 (icosapent ethyl 4 g) or fibrates are added for persistently high levels.

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What TG measures

A triglyceride is three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. After a meal, dietary fat is packaged in the gut into large chylomicron particles that deliver triglyceride to muscle and fat tissue; between meals, the liver packages triglyceride it has made from excess carbohydrate, alcohol and circulating fatty acids into VLDL particles. The enzyme lipoprotein lipase, activated by insulin, strips triglyceride out of these particles for tissues to use. When insulin is not working well, the liver makes more VLDL and lipoprotein lipase clears less, so triglycerides rise, which is why they track insulin resistance so closely.

The lab measures total triglyceride in serum or plasma enzymatically, releasing the glycerol and measuring it. Very high levels turn the serum visibly milky (lipaemic), which can interfere with other tests on the same sample, including sodium and some liver enzymes. Triglycerides are also used to calculate LDL in the Friedewald equation (triglycerides divided by 5 estimates VLDL cholesterol), which is why a high triglyceride makes the reported LDL less reliable and invalid above 400 mg/dL.

Triglycerides are the most variable lipid: they rise 20 to 30 percent after a meal and peak 4 to 6 hours later, swing by 20 percent or more between days in the same person, climb after a night of drinking, rise two to threefold in late pregnancy and fall during acute illness. Traditional testing required a 9 to 12 hour fast; current US and European guidance accepts non-fasting samples for screening (using 175 mg/dL as the non-fasting threshold) with a fasting repeat if the result is 400 or more or a treatment decision hangs on it.

Normal range for TG

Reference ranges vary between labs and by age, sex and pregnancy. Use the range printed on your own report.

GroupTypical range (mg/dL in the US; mmol/L elsewhere (1 mmol/L = 88.5 mg/dL; 150 mg/dL = 1.7 mmol/L))Notes
Normal (fasting)Under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)NCEP ATP III and 2018 ACC/AHA categories. Optimal is under 100. Labs differ slightly in how they flag.
Normal (non-fasting)Under 175 mg/dL (2.0 mmol/L)Non-fasting samples are acceptable for screening; triglycerides run about 25 mg/dL higher after meals.
Borderline high150–199 mg/dL (1.7–2.2 mmol/L)A metabolic syndrome criterion at 150 or more; a persistent level of 175 or more is a risk enhancer when deciding on statins.
High200–499 mg/dL (2.3–5.6 mmol/L)Lifestyle change plus treatment of causes; icosapent ethyl is considered in people with heart disease or diabetes on a statin with levels of 150 to 499.
Very high500–999 mg/dL (5.6–11.3 mmol/L)Pancreatitis risk rises; fat restriction, alcohol abstinence and often a fibrate or prescription omega-3 are started promptly.
Severe1,000 mg/dL (11.3 mmol/L) or higherRisk of acute pancreatitis is substantial (roughly 5 percent above 1,000 and 10 to 20 percent above 2,000). Usually a genetic predisposition plus a trigger such as uncontrolled diabetes, alcohol or pregnancy.
Children and adolescents (10 to 19)Under 90 acceptable; 90–129 borderline; 130 or more highNHLBI 2011 paediatric cut-offs; lower thresholds apply under age 10.
PregnancyRises 2 to 3 fold by the third trimesterExpected; women with pre-existing high triglycerides can reach pancreatitis-range levels and are monitored.

High triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia)

Triglycerides of 150 to 499 mg/dL almost always signal that the liver is making more triglyceride-rich VLDL than the tissues are clearing, and in most adults the driver is insulin resistance, with excess sugar, refined carbohydrate and alcohol adding to it. This is why high triglycerides travel with a low HDL, a large waist, a fasting glucose over 100 and fatty liver, the pattern called metabolic syndrome. At this level the risk is cardiovascular: triglyceride-rich particles and their remnants enter artery walls, and genetic studies show that lifelong higher triglycerides cause more coronary disease, not just accompany it. The effect is smaller than LDL's; a 1 mmol/L (88 mg/dL) higher triglyceride is linked to roughly 1.2 to 1.4 times the coronary risk.

Treatment at 150 to 499 is aimed mainly at the causes, and it works: dietary change, weight loss and exercise together can lower triglycerides by 20 to 50 percent. Statins, which lower triglycerides by 10 to 30 percent, remain the first drug for cardiovascular risk. For people with heart disease or diabetes whose triglycerides stay at 150 to 499 on a statin, the REDUCE-IT trial showed that icosapent ethyl (purified EPA, 4 g a day) cut major cardiovascular events by 25 percent, a benefit that was larger than the fall in triglycerides alone would predict. Fibrates lower triglycerides by 30 to 50 percent but have not reduced cardiovascular events in modern trials, so they are reserved mainly for pancreatitis prevention.

At 500 mg/dL and above, chylomicrons start to persist in the blood, and above about 1,000 the risk of acute pancreatitis becomes the dominant concern; high triglycerides cause roughly 2 to 10 percent of all cases of acute pancreatitis. Levels this high usually combine an inherited tendency (familial hypertriglyceridemia, familial combined hyperlipidemia or, rarely, lipoprotein lipase deficiency) with a trigger such as uncontrolled diabetes, alcohol, pregnancy, estrogen or a new medication. These patients are managed urgently with a very-low-fat diet, alcohol abstinence, tight glucose control and medication, and referred to a lipid specialist.

Common causes

  1. Insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes

    The most common cause. Insulin normally restrains VLDL production and activates lipoprotein lipase; when it fails, both go wrong. Poorly controlled diabetes can push triglycerides over 1,000, and they fall quickly once glucose is controlled.

  2. Sugar and refined carbohydrate

    The liver converts excess sugar, especially fructose, into triglyceride. Diets providing more than about 20 percent of calories as added sugar, or regular sugar-sweetened drinks, raise fasting and post-meal triglycerides by 20 to 40 percent in feeding studies; cutting them has the opposite effect within two weeks.

  3. Alcohol

    Alcohol is converted to fat in the liver and blocks fat breakdown. Two drinks a day raise triglycerides by about 6 mg/dL in regular drinkers, but binge drinking and heavier intake can double or triple them, and alcohol is the commonest trigger of pancreatitis-range levels in people with an inherited tendency.

  4. Overweight and abdominal fat

    Visceral fat releases fatty acids straight to the liver, feeding VLDL production. Triglycerides fall about 1.3 mg/dL per kilogram lost, and a 5 to 10 percent weight loss typically lowers them by about 20 percent.

  5. Medications

    Oral estrogen (contraceptives and menopausal hormone therapy; transdermal has little effect), tamoxifen, isotretinoin and other retinoids, corticosteroids, thiazide diuretics, non-selective beta-blockers, atypical antipsychotics (olanzapine, clozapine), HIV protease inhibitors, cyclosporine, bile acid sequestrants and L-asparaginase can each raise triglycerides, sometimes to very high levels.

  6. Hypothyroidism and kidney disease

    Low thyroid hormone slows triglyceride clearance; nephrotic syndrome and chronic kidney disease increase production and reduce clearance. TSH, creatinine and urine protein are checked in anyone with new high triglycerides.

  7. Inherited hypertriglyceridemia

    Familial hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides 250 to 1,000, often with normal LDL) and familial combined hyperlipidemia (high triglycerides and high apolipoprotein B, with early heart disease in the family) are common polygenic conditions. Familial chylomicronemia syndrome (lipoprotein lipase deficiency) is rare, causes levels over 1,000 from childhood and recurrent pancreatitis.

  8. Pregnancy

    Estrogen and placental hormones raise triglycerides two to threefold by the third trimester. In women with a pre-existing tendency, levels can exceed 1,000 and cause gestational pancreatitis.

  9. Fatty liver disease, lupus, HIV and Cushing's syndrome

    Each raises triglycerides through insulin resistance or inflammation; fatty liver is both a cause and a consequence of high triglycerides.

  10. Not fasting, or a recent large or fatty meal

    Triglycerides peak 4 to 6 hours after eating and remain raised for 8 to 12 hours. A result of 150 to 250 on a sample drawn mid-afternoon often normalises when repeated fasting.

Symptoms that can go with it

  • None at levels under about 500 mg/dL; high triglycerides are found on screening
  • Severe, constant upper abdominal pain radiating to the back with nausea and vomiting, the picture of acute pancreatitis (levels usually over 1,000)
  • Small yellow-red bumps on the buttocks, back, elbows or knees (eruptive xanthomas) with levels over 1,000 to 2,000
  • Enlarged liver or spleen, and sometimes vague abdominal discomfort, with chronic very high levels
  • A creamy or pale pink appearance of the retinal blood vessels on eye examination (lipaemia retinalis) above about 2,000 to 4,000 mg/dL
  • Fatigue, poor concentration and memory lapses reported by some people with chylomicronemia
  • Features of the usual accompanying conditions: a large waist, rising glucose, high blood pressure, fatty liver

Low triglycerides

There is no lower limit of concern for triglycerides in routine practice, and a fasting level under 50 or even under 40 mg/dL is usually a sign of good metabolic health: a lean, active person, a diet low in sugar and refined carbohydrate, or a low-fat or low-carbohydrate pattern. People with very low triglycerides tend to have high HDL and large, buoyant LDL particles, the opposite of the metabolic syndrome pattern. Optimal is often quoted as under 100 mg/dL, and lower than that is fine.

A low triglyceride is only worth a second thought when it is new and unexplained or comes with other changes. Hyperthyroidism speeds clearance; malabsorption from celiac disease, pancreatic insufficiency or inflammatory bowel disease reduces fat uptake; malnutrition, advanced cancer and chronic illness reduce production; and some medications (statins, fibrates, high-dose omega-3, niacin) lower it by design. The rare inherited conditions abetalipoproteinemia and homozygous hypobetalipoproteinemia produce triglycerides near zero with fat malabsorption and vitamin E deficiency, and present in childhood.

Common causes

  1. Lean body composition, regular exercise and a low-sugar diet

    The common explanation. Endurance athletes and people who avoid sugary drinks and alcohol often run fasting triglycerides of 40 to 70 mg/dL.

  2. Low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets

    Both lower fasting triglycerides, low-carbohydrate diets by the most (typically 20 to 30 percent), because the liver has less carbohydrate to convert to fat.

  3. Lipid-lowering medication

    High-dose omega-3 (4 g EPA plus DHA) lowers triglycerides by 20 to 30 percent, fibrates by 30 to 50 percent, niacin by 20 to 50 percent and statins by 10 to 30 percent; the result is the intended one.

  4. Hyperthyroidism

    Excess thyroid hormone increases lipoprotein lipase activity and clears triglycerides faster, alongside a low total and LDL cholesterol.

  5. Malabsorption and malnutrition

    Celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis with enzyme deficiency, inflammatory bowel disease, bariatric surgery and eating disorders all reduce absorbed fat and triglyceride production, usually with weight loss and low cholesterol.

  6. Inherited very low lipoproteins

    Abetalipoproteinemia and homozygous familial hypobetalipoproteinemia prevent the body from forming chylomicrons and VLDL, giving triglycerides under 20 to 30 mg/dL with steatorrhoea, fat-soluble vitamin deficiency and, untreated, nerve and retinal damage.

Symptoms that can go with it

  • None; low triglycerides do not cause symptoms
  • Weight loss, diarrhoea or pale greasy stools if malabsorption is the cause
  • Heat intolerance, tremor, palpitations and weight loss if hyperthyroidism is the cause
  • Loss of appetite, fatigue or muscle wasting with malnutrition or chronic illness
  • Night blindness, unsteadiness or numbness in the rare inherited forms, from vitamin A and E deficiency

Read it alongside

  • HDL cholesterol — moves opposite to triglycerides; a triglyceride-to-HDL ratio over 3.5 (mg/dL) is a practical marker of insulin resistance and small, dense LDL.
  • LDL cholesterol — calculated LDL becomes unreliable as triglycerides rise and is invalid above 400 mg/dL; ask for a direct LDL or use non-HDL cholesterol instead.
  • Non-HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B — capture the cholesterol in triglyceride-rich particles and remnants; they are the better treatment targets when triglycerides are over 150.
  • Fasting glucose and A1C — high triglycerides with a glucose over 100 is insulin resistance until proven otherwise; very high triglycerides in diabetes usually mean glucose is poorly controlled.
  • TSH — hypothyroidism is a reversible cause and is checked before long-term treatment.
  • ALT and GGT — raised with the fatty liver that commonly accompanies high triglycerides, and GGT rises with alcohol.
  • Lipase or amylase — checked urgently if triglycerides are over 500 and there is abdominal pain, to diagnose pancreatitis.
  • Creatinine, eGFR and urine protein — kidney disease and nephrotic syndrome raise triglycerides.

What usually happens next

  1. If the result was non-fasting or over 400 mg/dL, repeat after a 9 to 12 hour fast (water only) and at least 24 hours without alcohol; many borderline results normalise.
  2. Expect your clinician to look for secondary causes: glucose and A1C, TSH, kidney function and urine protein, liver enzymes, alcohol intake and a review of medications including estrogen, retinoids, steroids and antipsychotics.
  3. For 150 to 499 mg/dL, the first-line treatment is dietary: cut added sugar and sugary drinks, refined grains and alcohol, add fibre, lose 5 to 10 percent of body weight if overweight and build to 150 minutes a week of activity; recheck in 8 to 12 weeks, when falls of 20 to 50 percent are typical.
  4. Ask whether you need a statin: the decision depends on your overall cardiovascular risk, not the triglyceride level, and statins are the first drug even when triglycerides are the main abnormality. If you have heart disease or diabetes and triglycerides stay at 150 to 499 on a statin, ask about icosapent ethyl.
  5. For 500 mg/dL or more, treatment starts promptly to prevent pancreatitis: fat intake is cut to under 10 to 15 percent of calories short-term, alcohol stopped, glucose controlled, and a fibrate or prescription omega-3 is usually added; levels over 1,000 or a history of pancreatitis warrant a lipid specialist.
  6. If very high triglycerides run in your family or started in childhood, ask about genetic testing; it changes long-term management and identifies relatives at risk.

Diet, lifestyle and natural levers with evidence

What can move TG once the cause is known. Nothing here replaces finding the cause.

Cut added sugar, sugary drinks and refined carbohydrate

Strong evidence

Triglycerides respond to carbohydrate quality faster than any other lipid. In controlled feeding studies, providing 25 percent of calories as fructose-sweetened drinks for 10 weeks raised post-meal triglycerides by about 30 percent, and the American Heart Association's scientific statement estimates that limiting added sugar to under 5 to 10 percent of calories and fructose to under 50 to 100 g a day, together with the other dietary steps, can lower triglycerides by 20 to 50 percent. Meta-analyses of low-carbohydrate versus low-fat diets find triglycerides fall 15 to 25 mg/dL more on the low-carbohydrate pattern, with the difference largest in the first 6 months. Replacing refined grains and sugar with vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and unsaturated fat is the target, not removing carbohydrate altogether.

Reduce or stop alcohol

Strong evidence

Alcohol is turned into fat by the liver and suppresses fat clearance. In a meta-analysis of 42 trials, 30 g a day (two drinks) raised triglycerides by about 6 mg/dL in people with normal lipids, but the effect is far larger in those who already run high: in people with triglycerides over 200, two to four weeks of abstinence commonly lowers them by 20 to 30 percent or more, and binge drinking can double them overnight. Endocrine Society and ACC guidance advise complete abstinence when triglycerides are 500 or more because alcohol is the commonest trigger of pancreatitis in that group.

Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA), 2 to 4 g a day

Strong evidence

The American Heart Association's 2019 science advisory concluded that 4 g a day of prescription EPA or EPA plus DHA lowers triglycerides by 20 to 30 percent in people at 200 to 499 mg/dL and by 30 percent or more at 500 and above; 2 g a day gives roughly half that. In the REDUCE-IT trial, 8,179 statin-treated patients with heart disease or diabetes and triglycerides of 135 to 499 who took icosapent ethyl (purified EPA) 4 g a day had 25 percent fewer major cardiovascular events over 4.9 years (17.2 versus 22.0 percent), even though triglycerides fell only 18 percent; a similar trial using an EPA plus DHA preparation (STRENGTH) found no benefit, so the formulation appears to matter. Ordinary fish-oil capsules contain about 300 mg of EPA plus DHA per 1 g capsule, so reaching 2 to 4 g means 7 to 13 capsules a day; prescription products deliver the dose in 2 to 4 capsules.

Atrial fibrillation was more common on 4 g a day in REDUCE-IT (5.3 versus 3.9 percent) and other trials; bleeding risk rises slightly, particularly with anticoagulants or antiplatelet drugs; DHA-containing products raise LDL by 10 to 45 percent in people with triglycerides over 500. Doses above 1 g a day should be agreed with your clinician. Fishy aftertaste and loose stools are common and improve with meals.

Weight loss of 5 to 10 percent

Strong evidence

A meta-analysis of 70 studies found triglycerides fall about 1.3 mg/dL for every kilogram lost, and the American Heart Association estimates that a 5 to 10 percent weight loss lowers triglycerides by about 20 percent. In the Look AHEAD trial, people with type 2 diabetes who lost an average 8.6 percent of body weight in the first year through intensive lifestyle change lowered triglycerides by about 30 mg/dL, twice the fall in the comparison group. The reduction comes mostly from less fat delivered to the liver and better insulin action; it is largest in people who start above 200.

Regular aerobic exercise

Moderate evidence

Meta-analyses of aerobic training trials find triglycerides fall by about 10 to 20 mg/dL (5 to 15 percent) with 3 to 5 sessions a week over 12 weeks or more, with bigger falls in people starting above 150 and when weight also drops. A single 60-minute session the day before a meal lowers the triglyceride rise after that meal by about 20 to 25 percent for up to 24 hours, so exercise helps even before any weight is lost. Resistance training adds a smaller effect; the combination is best.

When to see a clinician promptly

  • Severe upper abdominal pain spreading to the back, with nausea or vomiting, especially if your triglycerides are known to be over 500: possible acute pancreatitis, go to an emergency department.
  • A triglyceride result of 1,000 mg/dL or more: needs treatment within days, not weeks, to bring it below the pancreatitis range, and often a lipid specialist.
  • A result of 500 to 999 mg/dL: arrange an appointment within one to two weeks for secondary causes, a fat-restricted plan and medication.
  • Triglycerides over 500 in pregnancy, which can rise further and cause pancreatitis in the third trimester and needs specialist monitoring.
  • New small yellow-red bumps on the skin of the buttocks, back or elbows (eruptive xanthomas), which signal very high triglycerides.
  • Chest pain, breathlessness or sudden one-sided weakness in anyone with high triglycerides and other cardiovascular risk factors: call emergency services.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal triglyceride level?

Under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) after a 9 to 12 hour fast is normal, and under 100 is often called optimal. If the sample was not fasting, under 175 mg/dL counts as normal. Borderline high is 150 to 199, high is 200 to 499 and very high is 500 or more. About a quarter of US adults are above 150, and the level rises with age, weight and alcohol intake.

Is a triglyceride level of 200 high?

Yes, 200 mg/dL is the bottom of the 'high' band (200 to 499). It is not dangerous in itself, but it almost always indicates insulin resistance, excess sugar or alcohol, or a medication effect, and it counts as a risk enhancer when deciding on cholesterol treatment. The good news is that this level responds strongly to diet: cutting sugary drinks, refined carbohydrate and alcohol, together with a modest weight loss, commonly brings 200 down to under 150 within two to three months. Make sure the test was fasting; a non-fasting 200 may be a fasting 160.

What does a triglyceride level of 500 mean?

A level of 500 mg/dL or more is 'very high' and changes the goal from heart protection to preventing acute pancreatitis, a risk that becomes substantial above 1,000. It usually means an inherited tendency plus a trigger: uncontrolled diabetes, alcohol, obesity, pregnancy, oral estrogen, steroids, retinoids or some antipsychotics. Your clinician will check glucose, thyroid, kidneys and medications, ask you to cut fat sharply and stop alcohol for now, control glucose tightly and often start a fibrate or prescription omega-3, with a recheck in a few weeks.

How can I lower triglycerides quickly?

Triglycerides respond within two to four weeks. The fastest levers are stopping alcohol, removing sugary drinks, fruit juice, sweets and refined grains, and avoiding large fatty meals; together these often lower triglycerides by 20 to 50 percent. Daily exercise lowers the next day's level. Over months, a 5 to 10 percent weight loss adds another 20 percent. For levels over 500, your clinician may add a fibrate or 4 g a day of prescription omega-3, which lower triglycerides by 30 to 50 percent and 20 to 30 percent respectively.

What is the triglyceride to HDL ratio and what should it be?

Divide your triglycerides by your HDL, both in mg/dL. Under 2 is ideal, 2 to 3.5 is average, and over 3.5 suggests insulin resistance and a predominance of small, dense LDL particles; the 3.5 cut-off was validated in a US study of overweight adults as a screening marker for insulin resistance. It is less reliable in people of African ancestry, who tend to have lower triglycerides for the same metabolic state. In mmol/L the equivalent cut-offs are about 0.9 and 1.5.

Do I need to fast for a triglyceride test?

Not necessarily. Guidelines now accept non-fasting lipid panels for screening, using 175 mg/dL as the non-fasting threshold instead of 150, because triglycerides rise only about 25 mg/dL after a normal meal. Fasting for 9 to 12 hours is still requested if a non-fasting result is 400 or more, if a precise calculated LDL is needed, or when very high triglycerides are being monitored. Avoid alcohol for 24 hours before either kind of test, since it can raise triglycerides substantially.

Can triglycerides be too low?

Very rarely. A fasting level of 40 to 70 mg/dL is common in lean, active people and on low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets, and it is a sign of good metabolic health, not a problem. Levels under about 30 mg/dL that are new, or that come with weight loss, diarrhoea, greasy stools or a low cholesterol, raise the question of hyperthyroidism, malabsorption or malnutrition. Inherited conditions that block fat transport give levels near zero but present in childhood with fat-soluble vitamin deficiency.

Does alcohol raise triglycerides?

Yes, more than any other common dietary factor. The liver converts alcohol into fatty acids and triglyceride and simultaneously slows triglyceride clearance. Two drinks a day raise triglycerides by about 6 mg/dL in people with normal lipids, but in those who already run high the effect is much larger, and a heavy evening can double the next morning's level. If your triglycerides are over 500, complete abstinence is advised because alcohol is the commonest trigger of triglyceride-induced pancreatitis.

References

  1. Triglycerides test. MedlinePlus, US National Library of Medicine (2024)View source
  2. Triglycerides: why do they matter?. Mayo Clinic (2024)View source
  3. Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al.. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA guideline on the management of blood cholesterol. Circulation (2019)
  4. Miller M, Stone NJ, Ballantyne C, et al.. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation (2011)
  5. Virani SS, Morris PB, Agarwala A, et al.. 2021 ACC expert consensus decision pathway on the management of ASCVD risk reduction in patients with persistent hypertriglyceridemia. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
  6. Berglund L, Brunzell JD, Goldberg AC, et al.. Evaluation and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (2012)
  7. Bhatt DL, Steg PG, Miller M, et al.. Cardiovascular risk reduction with icosapent ethyl for hypertriglyceridemia (REDUCE-IT). New England Journal of Medicine (2019)
  8. Skulas-Ray AC, Wilson PWF, Harris WS, et al.. Omega-3 fatty acids for the management of hypertriglyceridemia: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation (2019)
  9. Nordestgaard BG, Langsted A, Mora S, et al.. Fasting is not routinely required for determination of a lipid profile: clinical and laboratory implications including flagging at desirable concentration cut-points. A joint consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society and European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. European Heart Journal (2016)
  10. Dattilo AM, Kris-Etherton PM. Effects of weight reduction on blood lipids and lipoproteins: a meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1992)
  11. McLaughlin T, Abbasi F, Cheal K, Chu J, Lamendola C, Reaven G. Use of metabolic markers to identify overweight individuals who are insulin resistant. Annals of Internal Medicine (2003)
  12. Rimm EB, Williams P, Fosher K, Criqui M, Stampfer MJ. Moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of effects on lipids and haemostatic factors. BMJ (1999)

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