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Triglycerides
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The Test Sample
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What is being tested?
This test measures the amount of triglycerides in your blood. Triglycerides are the body's storage form for fat. Most triglycerides are found in adipose (fat) tissue. Some triglycerides circulate in the blood to provide fuel for muscles to work. Extra triglycerides are found in the blood after eating a meal - when fat is being sent from the gut to adipose tissue for storage. The test for triglycerides should be done when you are fasting and no extra triglycerides from a recent meal are present.
How is the sample collected for testing?The test for triglycerides uses a blood sample. Most often, the blood sample is collected using a needle to collect blood from a vein. Sometimes triglycerides are measured using a drop of blood collected by puncturing the skin on a finger. This fingerstick sample is typically used when a lipid profile ( cholesterol, HDL, LDL and TG) is being measured on a portable testing device, for example, at a health fair.
NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety, Tips on Blood Testing, Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests, and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests.
Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.
Is any test preparation needed to ensure the quality of the sample?
Current standards recommend that testing be done when you are fasting. For 12 to 14 hours before the test, only water is permitted. In addition, alcohol should not be consumed for 24 hours just before the test.
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This article was last reviewed on
August 13, 2007.
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