What does triglycerides in blood test mean?
The triglyceride level test helps measure the amount of triglycerides in your blood. Triglycerides are a type of fat, or lipid, found in the blood. The results of this test help your doctor determine your risk of developing heart disease. Another name for this test is a triacylglycerol test.
What is a triglyceride simple definition?
Definition. A triglyceride (TG) molecule consists of a glycerol backbone esterified with three fatty acids. Triglycerides are the main constituent of vegetable and animal fats in the diet, and are the main constituent of the body’s fat stores.
What are examples of triacylglycerol?
Triglycerides, along with fatty acids, circulate in the blood and provide an energy source to the heart and skeletal muscles as well as other tissues. An example of a triglyceride known as tristearin contains three molecules of stearic acid. These are connected to one glycerol molecule via ester linkages (Fig. 5.4).
What is an alternative term for triglycerides and cholesterol?
Lipids. Triglycerides and cholesterol both belong to the “fat family” (also called lipids) but have different functions, said Wright. “Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that is used by the body to make hormones, vitamin D and is part of the membrane surrounding the cells,” she added.
Which is worse cholesterol or high triglycerides?
In fact, high triglycerides are as dangerous as bad cholesterol when it comes to your risk for heart disease. According to researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high triglycerides could be a problem for one-third of all Americans.
Is triglyceride good or bad?
Triglycerides are lipids (waxy fats) that give your body energy. Your body makes triglycerides and also gets it from the foods you eat. High triglycerides combined with high cholesterol raise your risk of heart attack, strokes and pancreatitis. Diet and lifestyle changes can keep triglyceride levels in a healthy range.
What drugs are used to treat triglycerides?
Decrease your low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol,the “bad” cholesterol that increases the risk of heart disease
What causes high triglycerides?
Cause. The most common causes of high triglycerides are obesity and poorly controlled diabetes. If you are overweight and are not active, you may have high triglycerides, especially if you eat a lot of carbohydrate or sugary foods or drink a lot of alcohol. Binge drinking of alcohol can cause dangerous spikes in triglyceride levels that can trigger inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
What are the normal levels of triglycerides?
What are normal triglyceride levels? Doctors generally consider normal triglyceride levels to be below 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) of blood. When triglyceride levels are higher than normal, doctors often advise dietary changes and increased physical activity.
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