Heart Health High Cholesterol Diagnosis Triglyceride Levels Explained By Jennifer Moll, PharmD facebook Jennifer Moll, MS, PharmD, is a pharmacist actively involved in educating patients about the importance of heart disease prevention. Learn about our editorial process Jennifer Moll, PharmD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI on November 19, 2019 facebook twitter linkedin Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI, is a board-certified preventive cardiologist and lipidologist. Dr. Ali is also an award-winning writer. Learn about our Medical Review Board Yasmine S. Ali, MD, MSCI Updated on November 27, 2019 Print High triglycerides, especially when coupled with high LDL cholesterol (also known as "bad" cholesterol), might place you at risk of having heart disease, but what are they? Courtney Keating / E+ / Getty Images Triglycerides Explained Triglycerides are a type of fat, or lipid, that accounts for the majority of fat in our diets. Triglycerides are important because they provide the body with the energy it needs to function on a daily basis. If you have an excess of triglycerides in the body, they will usually be stored as fat. Triglycerides are either made in the liver or consumed in the diet and then absorbed into the body through the small intestine. Additionally, triglycerides never travel to their destination in the body alone. They attach to a protein and become a lipoprotein referred to as a chylomicron or a very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). These lipoproteins are not very dense, or heavy. Therefore, along with low-density lipoproteins (LDL), they run the risk of potentially contributing to heart disease. What Should My Triglyceride Levels Be? Elevated levels of triglycerides also are a risk factor for heart disease. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine: Triglyceride levels should be below 150 mg/dL (1.69 mmol/L).Levels between 150 mg/dL (1.69 mmol/L ) and 199 mg/dL (2.25 mmol/L) are considered borderline high.Levels between 200-499 mg/dL (2.26-5.63 mmol/L) are considered high.Levels above 500 mg/dL (5.64 mmol/L) are considered extremely high. Who Is at Risk for Acquiring High Triglyceride Levels? There are primary and secondary causes of hypertriglyceridemia or high triglyceride levels. Primary causes include various genetic disorders that affect the metabolism of triglycerides and/or cholesterol. Secondary causes are usually due either to excessive fat in the diet or underlying conditions that would include: DiabetesMetabolic syndromeObesityHypothyroidismExcessive alcohol consumptionNephrotic syndrome If any of these risk factors are present, your healthcare provider probably will recommend that you have a lipid panel performed more frequently (every one or two years as opposed to five years). 10 Causes of High Triglycerides in Diabetes What Can Happen If My Triglyceride Levels Are Too High? Having high triglyceride levels may place you at risk for coronary heart disease. However, this fact has not been exclusively proven. When triglyceride levels are high, most often, LDL levels will be high as well. Elevated LDL levels are an important risk factor for heart disease. However, it has not been fully established that high triglyceride levels alone are capable of producing health disease. While there are some studies that have stated that high triglycerides alone are not an independent risk factor for heart disease, there have been other studies that have indicated that triglycerides alone, even with normal LDL and HDL levels, can cause the development of coronary heart disease. Foods That Cause High Triglycerides How High Triglyceride Levels Are Treated Even though the verdict is still out on whether or not high triglyceride levels alone can cause heart disease, it is still important to restore them back to their normal levels. High triglyceride levels are initially treated with a low-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and lifestyle modifications. When this does not work, your health care provider may want to add medication to help lower your triglyceride levels. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Looking to start a diet to better manage your cholesterol? Changing lifelong eating habits can be scary at first, but our guide will make it easier. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Ahmed S, Ahmed O. Biochemistry, lipids. [Updated 2018 Oct 27]. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan. U.S. National Library of Medicine MedlinePlus. Triglycerides. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. High blood triglycerides. American Heart Association. Triglycerides: Frequently asked questions. Published April 15, 2011.