Markers · Metabolic
Triglycerides of 140, just under the line. Triglycerides, read against the rest of you.
What triglycerides measure, what they do in the body, why they're tested, and the two ranges they're read against. Everything said about the marker here comes from Merlin's own biomarker catalogue.
What triglycerides are
Triglycerides are the primary form of fat stored in the body and circulate in the bloodstream after meals or when released from adipose tissue. Elevated triglyceride levels (hypertriglyceridemia) are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and pancreatitis. They are commonly measured as part of a standard lipid panel to assess cardiometabolic health and guide clinical decision-making.
What they do in the body
Triglycerides serve as the body's primary long-term energy storage molecule, stored in adipose tissue and released during fasting or energy demand. They are transported in the bloodstream via VLDL and chylomicron lipoprotein particles. Triglycerides also play roles in insulation, organ protection, and as substrates for hormone synthesis and cell membrane integrity.
Why they're tested
Triglyceride testing is used to evaluate cardiovascular risk, screen for metabolic syndrome, assess insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes risk, monitor response to dietary and pharmacological interventions, and identify individuals at risk for acute pancreatitis when levels are severely elevated. It is a standard component of the lipid panel ordered in routine preventive health screenings.
The two ranges
The reference range reflects population statistics. The target reflects physiology.
- Lab reference range
- < 150 mg/dL (< 1.69 mmol/L) - normal; Borderline High: 150-199 mg/dL (1.69-2.25 mmol/L); High: 200-499 mg/dL (2.26-5.64 mmol/L); Very High: ≥ 500 mg/dL (≥ 5.65 mmol/L)
- Functional target
- < 70 mg/dL (< 0.79 mmol/L)
Those are different numbers, and you deserve to know which one you're looking at. Merlin reads your result against both.
Where this lives
A Field Guide to Metabolic Derailment
The field guide that covers triglycerides in depth, whole and public.
In a real read
Triglycerides of 69 mg/dL are in the real Cardiovascular read on this site, and they change how it reads everything else. In its words, a high particle count "with Pattern A morphology and low triglycerides is a categorically different risk picture than the same count with Pattern B and TG above 150."
A real Cardiovascular surface from a real anonymized panel: the score, the narrative, the layers underneath. Yours will be built the same way, on your own numbers.
Educational context for your conversations with your licensed healthcare provider, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan. Merlin reads results; it doesn't diagnose.
No triglyceride result yet? You can order it inside Merlin: it's on Heart Health Essentials ($100) and Merlin Core ($180).
Bring the panel this number came from. Merlin reads it against everything else you have, every system and every year, then shows you what it means and what's worth finding out next. Start with your first month.