Triglicerides

W hat are triglicerides?   Have you already heard about these? 

Fats exist in food as well as in the body in triglicerides chemical form. 

They can also be found in blood plasma. Plasma lipids are cholesterol associated with triglicerides. there do triglicerides come from? 

Triglicerides in plasma have 2 sources: 

•  Fats absorbed in foods 
•  Fats made by the body itself. The body uses carbohydrates and other energy sources to produce these fats. 

How this conversion does happen? 

When you ingest meal, if you don't use the calories immediately, the body will transport and store them in triglicerides forms into fat cells. 

When you will need them, hormones will regulate the release of these fats from the tissue so they meet the body's needs for energy between meals. 

What happens if they are excessive in plasma? 

When they are in excess in plasma, this disease is called hypertriglyceridemia. 

Many people who suffer from coronary artery disease have also hypertriglyceridemia. So there is a correlation between the two diseases. 

Their elevated levels are also linked to other chronic degenerative diseases like diabetes mellitus. 

It's very important to watch your triglicerides as well as your cholesterol level. Do not made the mistake to believe only cholesterol is harmful. 

Check regularly your trigliceride levels. It can be detected by plasma measurements. 

But what are their levels? 

• Normal Less than 150 mg/dL 
•  Borderline-high 150 to 199 mg/dL 
•  High 200 to 499 mg/dL 
•  Very high 500 mg/dL or higher 

Trigliceride treatment: The fiers step in the treatment is trigliceride reducing diet. Diet plays an important role and changes in lifestyle habits are the main therapy for hypertriglyceridemia. If you suffer from their high levels, you need to: 

•  Set a goal to reach your ideal body weight. 

•  Cut down on calories 

•  Reduce the saturated fat 

•  Reduce cholesterol you get from diet. 

•  If you are alcoholic, reduce your intake of alcohol considerably. 

•  Make exercises during about 30 minutes a day at least. 

•  Substitute monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Take fats from canola oil, olive oil or liquid margarine 

•  Take fish high in omega-3 fatty acids 

•  Take control of your high blood pressure 

•  Eliminate cigarette smoking. 

•  Take specific formulas for triglicerides.