Cholesterol
Triglycerides: The Cholesterol Number Everyone Skips. It Is Quietly Telling on You.
LDL gets the headlines. Triglycerides tell you what is happening with sugar, fat and the way your body handles both.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Blue, MD · 2 min read · October 15, 2026
The short version
- Optimal is under 100 mg/dL. Normal stops at 150.
- They are an early read on how your body handles sugar and fat, and the triglyceride-to-HDL ratio is one of the best simple markers.
- They often respond to change faster than other numbers.
Triglycerides matter because they are one of the earliest signs of how well your body handles sugar and fat. The American Heart Association calls a fasting level under 150 mg/dL normal, and under 100 mg/dL optimal.
What they are
Triglycerides are the main form of fat in your blood. After a meal, your body turns calories it does not need right away into triglycerides and stores them. They rise with sugar, refined carbohydrates and alcohol, and fall with activity.
Why they are a stand-in for more
Triglycerides tend to run high when the body is becoming less responsive to insulin, a pattern known as insulin resistance. A 2003 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the ratio of triglycerides to HDL was one of the best simple blood markers for spotting it.
High triglycerides are also one of the five measures in what doctors call metabolic syndrome, alongside waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar and HDL. And research reviewed in The Lancet in 2014 links the leftover particles from triglyceride-rich fats to inflammation and buildup in artery walls.
So a high triglyceride number is rarely just about fat. It is often the first number to move when something upstream is changing.
Why a "normal" 140 still deserves a look
A fasting level of 140 is under the 150 line and will usually pass without comment. It is also 40% above what the American Heart Association calls optimal. The 2018 U.S. cholesterol guideline lists triglycerides that stay at 175 or above as a factor that raises risk on its own.
What moves them
The American Heart Association's statement on triglycerides names the main levers: cutting back on sugar, sweet drinks and refined carbohydrates, limiting alcohol, moving more, and losing excess weight. Triglycerides often respond faster than other numbers, which makes them a good early scoreboard.
How we grade it
Body By Numbers grades triglycerides together with HDL, as a ratio, because the pair says more than either one alone. A lower ratio scores better, and the lines differ for men and women.
Sources
- McLaughlin T, et al. Use of metabolic markers to identify overweight individuals who are insulin resistant. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2003.
- Nordestgaard BG, Varbo A. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease. The Lancet, 2014.
- Miller M, et al. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 2011.
- Grundy SM, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol. Circulation, 2019.
This article is general information, not medical advice. Make decisions about your care with your own doctor.