Triglycerides fasting or non-fasting? Current knowledge in diagnostic values

Abstract

Triglyceride levels are increased for six to eight hours after a standard meal. If patient has consumed a very high fat content meal prior to testing. Fasting Triglyceride and non fasting Triglyceride levels were discussed in the present review article. Triglyceride storage and circulation in blood is kept under control by several enzymes, which are regulated by many genes and they reflect the nutritional needs of organism including fasting and non fasting status. In the majority of patients, non-fasting blood samples for lipids is the preferred specimen, providing similar clinical value to fasting samples for screening for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, and in most patients for monitoring. Triglycerides increases step wise after diet and reach a highest level after 5 hours post pandrially. Previous studies suggest that estimation of fasting Triglyceride may be carried only for cardiovascular patients, but it is very difficult for the patients to know whether they are in high risk of cardiovascular until they diagnosis properly.