Cholesterol, Triglycerides and C-Peptide

What to Test

Time to Test

Normal
Values

What value means

Triglycerides (TG)

8-16 hours fasting

< 200 mg/dl

Borderline high is 200-400, high is 400-1000, and very high is >1000. Elevated levels are a risk factor for coronary artery disease.

Cholesterol Total

8-16 hours fasting

< 200 mg/dl

A level of 200-239 is borderline high, and a level 240+ is high. Increased levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease.

low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL)

8-16 hours fasting

< 160 mg/dl

This is the "bad" cholesterol. In someone with one risk factor for heart disease, < 160 is recommended, with 2 risk factors < 130, and those with documented coronary heart disease the target is < 100

high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL)

8-16 hours fasting

> 34 mg/dl

This is the "good" cholesterol which may be increased through a healthy diet and exercise. The HDL level is usually estimated by taking total cholesterol and subtracting LDL, rather than by direct measure.

C-peptide

8-16 hours fasting

0.5 to 4.0 ng/ml

Levels increase with insulin production.

Creatinine

< 1.4 mg/dl

Levels 1.4 mg/dl and higher may indicate renal (kidney) disease or renal dysfunction.