Triglycerides
What in the world are triglycerides?
Most of the fat that is in our bodies as well as the fats that are in food are stored in the form of Triglycerides. What happens is the Triglycerides end up in our blood plasma, once this happens they bump into cholesterol and form "Plasma Lipids". The Triglycerides act as an energy reserve inside our blood.
When fat is introduced into our system from external food sources or when our bodies naturally created from within our body Triglycerides is the end result. Once the Triglycerides are formed they are transported off to the cells where they are stored for later use. The hormones in our bodies regulate the release of Triglycerides from the fatty tissue stored in our bodies to be used as energy in between meals.
How is an excess of triglycerides harmful?
There is a condition called Hypertriglyceridemia which is the result of too many Triglycerides in the system. When Triglycerides are in excess in our cells it can be directly linked to coronary artery disease. Sometimes other diseases such as untreated diabetes mellitus can also cause Hypertriglyceridemia.
The good thing is that high levels of Triglycerides can bet detected by a blood test, which tests the plasma. This is why the physician asks you to not eat for 12 hours before getting blood drawn, so there won’t be any unusually high levels of Triglycerides in your system from the foods or alcohol that were consumed prior to the blood being drawn.