Surprising blood test - high triglycerides page

[Tgloves]

My past 2 employers have required participation in a wellness program that is run by the same outside company. I have taken part in the program for 6 years and I have watched my numbers steadily improve as I have moved toward the primal way of eating. My TC/HDL ratio has trended downward from 4.3 to 2.6, and my trigs have steadily descended from 129 to 61. My numbers for 2011 appear to be pretty ideal from what I have read on this site.

TC 220
LDL 122
HDL 86
TC/HDL 2.6
Trig 61

Then I got my results from this year:
TC 188
LDL 88
HDL 57
TC/HDL 3.3
Trig 216

Everything seemed OK until I saw the Trig level of 216. I have to say that I was pretty shocked when I saw this number, and I even questioned the nurse on the accuracy of the test. I admit that my exercise levels have decreased since last year, but I don't think that alone could explain this. I fasted for 13 hours prior to the blood draw. Can anyone shed some light on what may be causing this?

My glucose levels decreased from 95 to 86 from 2011 to 2012 test. Everything else that was tested came back normal, and I would have had a "perfect score", excluding the trig levels. I can't really think of much that changed in my diet, except for maybe increasing intake of red meats slightly and not taking fish oil supplement.

Any thoughts or help would be appreciated

[jammies]

Any sources of hidden sugars or refined carbs sneaking in to your diet?

ETA - or increase in alcohol intake?

[DeeDub]

That looks like an outlier of an outlier - I would retest.

[js290]

Test again and have your fasting insulin level tested as well.

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[emmie]

I'd test again. Unless you radically changed your diet, I'd suspect lab error.

If it comes back again that high, I'd look for some physical (medical problem?) explanation. I eat substantially the same, and since I'm hypothyroid, I have my blood tested every four months. My trig level is consistent within 10 points on every test, so an increase like that is strange.

[ChocoTaco369]

Retest. Looks like a mistake. Maybe the lab tech spilled frozen yogurt into the blood sample like Rudy Giuliani on Seinfeld. Unless...

Have you recently had a big drop in weight? If you recently saw some big fat loss, you may have elevated levels of fat in your blood.

[paleo-bunny]

I fasted for 13 hours prior to the blood draw.

Why did you do that? It could be a factor. Did you fast similarly prior to the previous year's test?

[ChocoTaco369]

Why did you do that? It could be a factor. Did you fast similarly prior to the previous year's test?

I suppose theoretically a 13 hour fast could have you dumping significant amounts of fatty acids into your blood for energy, increasing your triglycerides, especially if you ate light the day before. But...

On my last blood test about 9 months ago, I fasted about 20 hours (I couldn't get to the lab til around 4pm) and my triglycerides were 40. I have around 12-13% body fat though, so someone that's 15-20+% body fat could have a totally different reaction. I don't know what the OP's stats are.

[Tgloves]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. To answer your questions:

The fasting is a requirement from the testing facility. I have always fasted 12-13 hours prior to the blood draw.

My weight has been pretty consistent for the past 5 years, maybe decreasing slightly. My body fat is also low. I'm about 6'1" and 170 lbs.

I do drink alcohol, but not in excess.

My triglyceride levels have been as follows:

2003 - 129
2004 - 125
2005 - 85
2006 - 89
2008 - 64 Started to eat more primal about this time
2011 - 61
2012 - 216

No testing in the years not indicated. I'm racking my brain trying to figure out if I'm doing something that differently than last year. Maybe a retest is the answer. I can't get another one through work for 6 months, so maybe I'll see a doctor to retest. Both sides of my family have a history of rampant heart disease, so I want to figure this out.

Thanks again

[NDF]

What do you typically eat?