However, when physicians measure cholesterol, they almost always also measure a fatty substance known as triglycerides, the same kind of fat that's in foods and gets stored on our bodies. Although triglyceride levels are considered less reliable as a predictor of heart disease than, say, the bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides are important, in large part because of the company they keep. Normal levels of triglycerides are less than 150 mg/dL. Almost everyone knows his or her cholesterol level and understands the importance of this laboratory test as a predictor of the risk of heart disease.

Individuals with metabolic syndrome, in addition to high triglyceride levels, generally have high blood pressure, borderline diabetes, abdominal. When high levels of triglycerides circulate in the blood they become a health and heart risk.

Levels greater than 500mg/dL are particularly concerning because they are associated with development of pancreatitis, a serious and painful inflammation of the gland that gives us digestive enzymes and insulin. They often signal a disease state known as metabolic syndrome.

Why Triglyceride Levels Matter Do triglyceride levels in the blood matter to the heart.