What is a normal triglyceride level?
Updated October 31, 2026 · 7 sources · Written by the AumniVIDA team
UnitsShort answer
A normal fasting triglyceride level is under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) in US and European guidance, and under 100 mg/dL (1.2 mmol/L)1.2 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) is optimal. Borderline high is 150 to 199 mg/dL, high is 200 to 499 mg/dL and very high is 500 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L)5.6 mmol/L (500 mg/dL) or more. The cut points do not differ by sex or adult age.
Triglyceride categories and guideline thresholds, mg/dL
- Optimal
- 00 to 1001.1
- Normal, above optimal
- 1001.1 to 1501.7
- Borderline high
- 1501.7 to 2002.3
- High
- 2002.3 to 5005.6
- Very high
- 5005.6 to 1,00011.3
- Severe
- 1,00011.3 to 1,10012.4
- 100 mg/dL1.1 mmol/L: EAS optimal limit (1.2 mmol/L)
- 150 mg/dL1.7 mmol/L: AHA and NLA normal limit (1.7 mmol/L)
- 175 mg/dL2 mmol/L: ACC/AHA risk enhancer; nonfasting lab flag
- 200 mg/dL2.3 mmol/L: ESC/EAS 2019 drug threshold in high risk
- 500 mg/dL5.6 mmol/L: Very high (5.6 mmol/L)
- 880 mg/dL9.9 mmol/L: EAS pancreatitis risk (10 mmol/L)
- 1,000 mg/dL11.3 mmol/L: ACC/AHA 2026 pancreatitis priority
Key takeaways
What is the normal range for triglycerides?
Under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) fasting is normal. AHA and NLA guidance call 150 to 199 mg/dL borderline high, 200 to 499 mg/dL high and 500 mg/dL or more very high; the European Atherosclerosis Society adds an optimal band under 100 mg/dL.
| Category | mg/dL | mmol/L |
|---|---|---|
| Optimal (AHA, EAS) | Under 100 | Under 1.1 to 1.2 |
| Normal | Under 150 | Under 1.7 |
| Borderline high | 150 to 199 | 1.7 to 2.2 |
| High | 200 to 499 | 2.3 to 5.6 |
| Very high | 500 or more | 5.6 or more |
AHA and NLA categories as compiled by Karalis [1]; the European consensus puts its optimal line at about 100 mg/dL (1.2 mmol/L)1.2 mmol/L (about 100 mg/dL) [2]. A result of 140 mg/dL is normal by US cut points but above the optimal band.
The triglycerides hub compares every guideline side by side, including the 2026 US guideline and the Endocrine Society.
Is the normal triglyceride range different by age?
No. Adult guidelines use the same cut points at every age. What changes with age is how common high levels are: in US data, high triglycerides became more common with age in women, while in men they peaked in middle age.
US national survey data show the age pattern [1]:
| Age | Women with 150 mg/dL or more | Men with 150 mg/dL or more |
|---|---|---|
| 20 to 39 | 15% | 25% |
| 40 to 59 | 23% | 35% |
| 60 and over | 32% | 25% |
Weight drives much of the pattern. In 2009 to 2012 data, 39% of men and 32% of women with obesity had raised triglycerides, compared with 15% of men and 9% of women at a normal weight [1].
Children and teenagers have their own reference ranges, which this page does not cover.
Is the normal range different for women and men?
The triglyceride cut points are the same for women and men. Men are more likely to have high levels (29% vs 22% in US data), and pregnancy raises triglycerides. HDL cholesterol, which is often read alongside triglycerides, does have different cut points by sex.
Searches for a female or male triglyceride range find the same numbers: under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) is normal for both [1]. In US data, 22% of women and 29% of men had levels at or above that line [1].
Two sex-specific points matter:
- Pregnancy raises triglycerides and is listed among the reversible causes of very high levels [4].
- HDL cholesterol cut points differ. In the metabolic syndrome criteria used by the 2018 US guideline, low HDL is under 40 mg/dL in men and under 50 mg/dL in women, and triglycerides above 175 mg/dL count as one of the five factors [5]. This matters for the triglyceride to HDL ratio.
Should a triglyceride test be fasting?
Usually it does not need to be. Nonfasting triglycerides run at most about 26 mg/dL (0.3 mmol/L)0.3 mmol/L (26 mg/dL) higher on average, so European labs flag a nonfasting value at 175 mg/dL (2 mmol/L)2 mmol/L (175 mg/dL) and a fasting value at 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL).
After habitual meals, the maximal mean rise is +26 mg/dL (+0.3 mmol/L), seen 1 to 6 hours after eating [3]. The European consensus therefore uses two flags: 175 mg/dL (2 mmol/L)2 mmol/L (175 mg/dL) or more for nonfasting samples and 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) or more for fasting ones [3].
Fasting is worth it when a nonfasting result is above 440 mg/dL (5 mmol/L)5 mmol/L (440 mg/dL), when very high levels are being monitored, or after pancreatitis [3]. A traditional fast lasts 8 to 12 hours, with water allowed [3]. The Endocrine Society prefers fasting levels for diagnosis [6].
For tracking over time, the most useful habit is consistency: test under the same conditions each time, either always fasting or always after a normal breakfast.
What is the best triglyceride level?
Lower is generally better within the normal range. Under 100 mg/dL (1.2 mmol/L)1.2 mmol/L (100 mg/dL) is optimal in AHA and European guidance, and in Copenhagen, people with nonfasting levels under about 90 mg/dL (1 mmol/L)1 mmol/L (90 mg/dL) had the lowest heart risk.
The European consensus explains the 100 mg/dL line: below it, lipoprotein lipase clears particles efficiently and few remnants build up [2]. In a Copenhagen cohort, people with nonfasting triglycerides under 90 mg/dL (1 mmol/L)1 mmol/L (90 mg/dL) had less than half the ischemic heart disease risk of those at 350 mg/dL (4 mmol/L)4 mmol/L (350 mg/dL) or more (hazard ratio 0.40) [7].
No guideline sets a lower limit for adults. If your triglycerides are very low, the low triglycerides page covers what that can mean.
More about Triglycerides
- Triglycerides: the full guideTriglycerides are the main form of fat in the body and in the blood, carried by VLDL from the liver and chylomicrons from the gut.
- What do high triglycerides mean?High triglycerides mean your blood carries more triglyceride-rich particles than guidelines consider normal: 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L) or more when fasting.
- How to lower triglyceridesTo lower triglycerides, lose 5 to 10% of body weight if you carry extra (about 20% lower), cut sugar, refined starch and alcohol (about 10 to 20% lower) and do regular aerobic exercise.
- Triglyceride to HDL ratio: what it tells youThe triglyceride to HDL ratio is triglycerides divided by HDL cholesterol from a standard lipid panel.
- What do low triglycerides mean?Low triglycerides, well below 100 mg/dL (1.1 mmol/L), usually reflect efficient fat clearance from leanness, exercise, low-carbohydrate eating or protective genes, and come with lower heart risk.
Protocols that act on Triglycerides
- Low-glycemic dietA low-glycemic diet favors carbohydrate foods that raise blood sugar slowly, rated by the glycemic index (GI): 55 or less is low and 70 or more is high.
- Mediterranean dietThe Mediterranean diet is an eating pattern built on vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts, fish and olive oil as the main fat, with little red or processed meat, butter or sweets.
- Ketogenic dietA ketogenic diet keeps carbohydrate under about 20 to 50 g a day so the body burns fat and makes ketones, defined in supervised programs as blood BHB of 0.5 to 3.0 mmol/L.
- Time-restricted eatingTime-restricted eating means eating all of the day's food and caloric drinks within a consistent daily window, usually 6 to 10 hours, and fasting the rest of the day.
Common questions
Is a triglyceride level of 150 normal?
It sits exactly on the line. Under 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)1.7 mmol/L (150 mg/dL) is normal, and 150 to 199 mg/dL is borderline high in US guidance [1].
What are the units for triglycerides?
US labs report mg/dL and most others report mmol/L. Divide mg/dL by 88.57 to get mmol/L: 150 mg/dL is 1.7 mmol/L and 500 mg/dL is 5.6 mmol/L [3].
What does borderline high triglycerides mean?
What is the average triglyceride level by age?
Guidelines do not publish average levels by age. In US data, the share of adults at 150 mg/dL or more rose with age in women, from 15% to 32%, and peaked at 35% in middle-aged men [1].
Sources
- 1.Karalis DG. A Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia: A Focus on High Dose Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Adv Ther, 2017. doi:10.1007/s12325-016-0462-y
- 2.Ginsberg HN, Packard CJ, Chapman MJ, et al. Triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and their remnants: metabolic insights, role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and emerging therapeutic strategies-a consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society. Eur Heart J, 2021. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehab551
- 3.Nordestgaard BG, Langsted A, Mora S, et al. Fasting is not routinely required for determination of a lipid profile: clinical and laboratory implications including flagging at desirable concentration cut-points-a joint consensus statement from the European Atherosclerosis Society and European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Eur Heart J, 2016. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw152
- 4.Sabouret P, Mafrica D, Giamundo DM, et al. The 2026 ACC/AHA Dyslipidemia Guideline: A Critical and Transatlantic Perspective on Personalized Lipid Management. Life (Basel), 2026. doi:10.3390/life16091470
- 5.Grundy SM, Stone NJ, Bailey AL, et al. 2018 AHA/ACC/AACVPR/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/ADA/AGS/APhA/ASPC/NLA/PCNA Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation, 2019. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625
- 6.Berglund L, Brunzell JD, Goldberg AC, et al. Evaluation and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2012. doi:10.1210/jc.2011-3213
- 7.Jorgensen AB, Frikke-Schmidt R, Nordestgaard BG, Tybjaerg-Hansen A. Loss-of-function mutations in APOC3 and risk of ischemic vascular disease. N Engl J Med, 2014. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1308027