A triglyceride test involves fasting, blood draw, and inspection of veins. The test helps identify the level of triglycerides in the blood and is an indicator of overall health. High triglycerides contribute to heart disease, clogged arteries, and diabetes. Normal results may require no changes.
If scheduled for a triglyceride test, you can expect a period of fasting followed by a blood draw. Typically a nurse or phlebotomist, an experienced blood collection specialist, will ask you to sit down and inspect the veins on each of your arms. After choosing the strongest vein, the person taking the sample swabs the needle injection site with an antiseptic to kill germs on the skin’s surface. A rubber band will then be tied high on the arm, just above the elbow crease, so that blood pools in the veins. Next, a needle with an empty vial attached or tube leading to a container will be injected into the inner elbow or back of the hand and blood will be drawn, then sealed and labeled for testing.
While getting a triglyceride test is basically a blood draw, preparing for the test includes fasting and possibly abstaining from certain medicines, supplements, and alcohol. A triglyceride test helps identify the level of triglycerides, a certain type of fat produced within the body, in the blood. If you eat too much fatty or carbohydrate foods, are overweight, or consume too much alcohol, for example, your triglycerides may be high and your body is probably getting too many calories. Fasting from food for at least 12 to 12 hours before the test rids the body of chemicals and allows for the breakdown of foods that could skew your triglyceride readings.
A triglyceride test is in many ways an indicator of overall health in terms of what healthy and unhealthy fats are present. It helps determine the estimated reading of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the commonly labeled “bad cholesterol,” versus high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the so-called “good cholesterol.” Generally, a high LDL reading will indicate high triglycerides, both of which contribute to heart disease, clogged arteries or atherosclerosis, and diabetes, among other conditions. Low triglyceride counts can be caused by thyroid conditions such as hyperthyroidism or the body’s inability to store nutrients. Individuals suffering from malnutrition often have low triglyceride counts.
When a doctor or other professional orders a triglyceride test, you can expect not only instruction about fasting and preparing for the blood draw, but also discussion about nutrition and possible indicators she might be looking for or expecting. When the results of the blood tests are available, there may also be further tests or educational sessions on diet and lifestyle changes. Normal triglyceride test results could simply mean doing more of what you already do to stay healthy.
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