Triglycerides:Themajorform offatstored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three molecules offatty acidcombined with amoleculeof thealcoholglycerol.Triglyceridesserve as thebackboneof many types of脂质(fats). Triglycerides come from thefoodwe eat as well as from being produced by the body.
Triglyceride levels are influenced by recent fat and alcohol intake, and should be measured afterfasting至少12个小时。一段时间的abstinencefrom alcohol is advised before testing for triglycerides.
Elevated triglyceride levels are considered to be arisk factorforatherosclerosis(hardening of the arteries) because many of the triglyceride-containinglipoproteinsthat transport fatinthe bloodstream also transport cholesterol, a known contributor to atherosclerosis.
Markedly high triglyceride levels (greater than 500mg/dl) can causeinflammationof thepancreas(pancreatitis). Therefore, these high levels should be treated aggressively with low fat diets and medications, if needed.
The word "triglyceride" reflects the fact that a triglyceride consists of three ("tri-") molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol ("-glyceride") that serves as the backbone in many types of lipids (fats).
