Triglycerides

Triglycerides are an important source of energy for your body. They are naturally found in fats, and mainly get into your body through the food you eat. But your body can also make them itself. Triglycerides are stored in fat cells. They transport fatty acids in the body, too.

The triglyceride levels in your blood give doctors an idea of how well fat is being metabolized. Together with your cholesterol levels, your triglyceride levels can also be used to assess your risk of cardiovascular disease (heart and blood vessel disease). Triglyceride levels are measured in people who have an acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). If the levels are very high, they may be causing the inflammation.

In Germany, your triglyceride levels are measured as part of the general health check-up known as the Gesundheits-Check-up or Check-up 35. People with public health insurance can have this general health check-up every three years from the age of 35. Younger people (between the ages of 18 and 35) can have this check-up once.

To measure your triglyceride levels, the doctor takes a sample of blood – usually from a vein in your arm. It is important not to eat or drink anything other than still water in the 8 hours before the appointment. This is because a meal can increase the levels – especially if it contains a lot of fat or sugar.

The reference range values may differ from lab to lab because they sometimes use different test procedures. The following cholesterol levels can give you an idea, though:

Low triglyceride levels are rare and don't really affect your health.

Low triglyceride levels can be a sign of malnutrition or an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism).

If you take lipid-lowering drugs such as statins, a high dose can lead to very low triglyceride levels too.

Triglycerides are rarely very low. But it's still a good idea to find out what the causes are together with your doctor. They can then determine whether something needs to be done – like treating an underlying illness or adjusting your medication.

The medical term for too many triglycerides in your blood is "hypertriglyceridemia." People who have high triglyceride levels may have a higher risk of arteriosclerotic diseases such as peripheral artery disease (PAD), heart attack or stroke. But triglyceride levels don't mean that much when considered alone: Your personal risk of cardiovascular disease will be influenced by other risk factors, too. These include your age, your biological sex, whether you smoke and whether you already have other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney problems. To assess the risk properly, it's also important to look at other blood levels like your total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

Extremely high triglyceride levels can lead to an acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

High triglyceride levels can be caused by various things, including certain habits such as not getting enough exercise, eating an unbalanced diet, drinking a lot of alcohol, and smoking. People who are very overweight often have high triglyceride levels.

Some diseases increase your triglyceride levels. These include

• diabetes,
• gout,
• an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism),
• chronic liver disease, and
• chronic kidney disease.

Certain medications (like hormonal contraceptives, beta blockers and steroids) can have this effect too. Genes play a role in some cases: About 0.5 to 2% of all people have a condition known as familial hypercholesterolemia. This is a lipid metabolism disorder that leads to increased triglyceride levels due to changes in various genes as well as environmental factors.

Triglyceride levels naturally increase towards the end of pregnancy, too.

If you have high triglyceride levels, it's important to find out why. If it's caused by an illness, that illness should be treated.

People with high triglyceride levels in their blood might have a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. It can then be a good idea to lower these levels – by how much mainly depends on their personal risk. The doctor can assess this risk based on certain risk factors and other blood levels. Reducing your triglycerides can also prevent damage to your pancreas.

You can do a lot yourself to lower your triglyceride levels. Recommendations include

• getting more exercise,
• drinking less alcohol,
• losing weight (if you're overweight),
• eating a more balanced diet, and
• not smoking.

If that's not enough to make a difference and you have a high risk of cardiovascular disease, lipid-lowering drugs may be considered too.