Triglycerides

Triglycerides are the storage form of dietary fat circulating in your blood — the lipid marker most sensitive to what you ate in the days before the draw.

Reference range

Watch points

Critical: at or above 500 mg/dL
High: at or above 200 mg/dL
Borderline: at or above 150 mg/dL

Same thresholds apply to men and women in this table.

Why hard-training athletes watch it

A carb-heavy refeed or a few days of higher alcohol intake before a draw can spike this number temporarily — lifters moving between bulk and cut phases should expect it to move with the diet phase, not just body composition.

When to retest

Fast a full 12 hours before the draw and skip alcohol for 48 hours prior — both distort this marker more than almost anything else on the panel.

Talk to your clinician

Cut refined carbs and alcohol, add cardio, and discuss your lipids with your clinician. A single elevated reading after a non-fasted or high-carb draw is common and usually not urgent — a clinician will want it repeated under controlled conditions before acting.