Triglycerides under 150 mg/dL

Under 150 mg/dL on a fasting sample is normal in the classification published in May 2001 by the National Cholesterol Education Program's Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III): "Normal triglycerides: <150 mg/dL". It is a 2001 NHLBI category. The current ACC/AHA guideline on dyslipidemia, published online March 13, 2026, never puts a number on a normal adult triglyceride. Its first line sits at 150 on a fasting draw and 175 on a nonfasting one, it prints no adult triglyceride value below 150, and none of its triglyceride recommendations starts under that number. Neither document names a level that is too low.

Fasting is no longer required for most people. ATP III wanted a fasting profile and warned that from a nonfasting draw "only the values for total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol will be usable." The 2026 guideline relaxes that. Its Section 3.2 recommends "a standard nonfasting or fasting lipid profile" for a baseline and observes that "postprandial increases in TG are generally small." It also says "nonfasting samples can be used for most individuals." A nonfasting result under 150 is under that guideline's nonfasting line of 175 as well.

How often to recheck. Section 3.1, Recommendation 1 (Class 1): "In adults, screening with a lipid profile is recommended beginning at age 19 years and at least every 5 years thereafter to identify treatable ASCVD risk, with frequent screening recommended for individuals with additional ASCVD risk factors." ASCVD is atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The supporting text has screening growing more frequent "with age and in the presence of additional ASCVD risk factors."

What pushes a normal value up. ATP III named obesity and overweight, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, excess alcohol, diets with more than 60 percent of energy from carbohydrate, type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, certain drugs, and inherited disorders. The 2026 guideline's Table 23 is the current, longer list. Among its entries: "Uncontrolled hypothyroidism", "Weight gain after weight loss", "Oral estrogens", "Isotretinoin" and "Sedentary lifestyle". Pregnancy is there too; the guideline notes levels "can increase 2- to 4-fold during the third trimester." One entry is about the test, not the person: "Sepsis (repeat measurement is recommended if lipids were measured during an episode of sepsis)".

Keeping it under 150. The guideline reports effect sizes rather than a target for this range. In a meta-analysis of 148 randomized trials of exercise training, in adults whose lipid status was unknown, triglycerides fell by 8.01 mg/dL. Its weight section notes that "The typical lipid profile of individuals with obesity often includes elevated TG, reduced HDL-C, and increased small cholesterol-depleted LDL particles." A later fasting result of 150 to 199 is borderline high, which has its own page.