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Triglycerides

In short, triglycerides are the principal fats, or lipids, a mixture of fatty acids and glycerol, circulating in the blood. Like cholesterol, triglycerides, as a normal substance found in the bloodstream, are necessary for life itself. They are chains of high-energy fatty acids providing much of the fuel needed for body cells to function.

A molecule of triglyceride is composed of a backbone of glycerol (an alcohol) to which three fatty acids ("tri") are bound. Any combination of saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated fatty acids can be in a triglyceride molecule.

A good way to envision a triglyceride molecule is to look at your hand. Hold out the three center fingers and fold back the thumb and little finger. The three fingers are the three fatty acids and your hand is the glycerol. As the three fingers are different, so the three fatty acids in a triglyceride can be different. The fatty acids can be long or short, saturated (stiff) or unsaturated (bendable).

Triglycerides are included in such substances as:

  • body fat
  • cooking oil
  • lard
  • butter, and
  • beef fat.

As found in the bloodstream, triglycerides are fats being transported from intestines to body cells. They may originate from two sources:

  • the food you eat, mainly sugar, animal products and saturated fat (sweets, red meat, dairy) and/or be manufactured within the body by
  • the liver itself -- especially during times, when dietary fats are not available.

Dietary (food) fats, are absorbed through the gut. They assemble in the intestines into special packets called chylomicrons, and then are delivered through the bloodstream to the liver, where they are processed.

One of the main jobs of the liver is to make sure that all the tissues of the body receive the triglycerides they need to function at optimal levels. Whenever possible (i.e., for about 8 hours after a meal), the liver takes up dietary triglycerides from the chylomicrons produced in the intestines.

However, since fats are not soluble in water and, because the liquid part of blood is made up with water, the liver packages triglycerides, along with special proteins, into tiny packages -spheres called very low density lipoprotein, or VLDL. In this form, they are released into the circulation and delivered to the cells of the body.

The body’s cells remove triglycerides from the VLDLs only when they need them. Any excessive amounts of triglycerides, or VLDLs, in the bloodstream just float there - causing problems.

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Related Questions

Most of the fat found in the human body is in the form of what?

triglycerides


Lipoprotein lipase will?

remove triglycerides from chylomicrons in the blood


What is the chemical form in which most fat exists in food as well as in the body is?

Most fat exists in the form of triglycerides in both food and the body. Triglycerides consist of three fatty acids bound to a glycerol molecule. In the body, triglycerides are stored in fat cells as a source of energy.


What percent of stored body fat is in the form of triglycerides?

triglyceride


How much triglycerides does the body hold?

The body can store an almost unlimited number of triglycerides (fat molecules) within its many adipose cells (fat cells).


What are triglycerides and how are they important for our body?

Triglycerides are 3 type of fat. There are found in food that we eat daily life. It give to our body: nutrition, Insulation and Protection and energies.


The predominant lipid both in foods and in the body are?

Triglycerides


Where does lipoprotein lipase break down triglycerides in the body?

Lipoprotein lipase breaks down triglycerides in the body primarily in the blood vessels and tissues, such as muscle and fat cells.


What is the most abundant fat in the body?

The most abundant lipids in the body are triglycerides. I know this is the right answer because i was taking an online test and i got the answer right . So good luck and i hope it helped.


About 95 percent of the lipids in foods and in the human body are in the form of?

Triglycerides. Triglycerides are composed of three fatty acid chains attached to a glycerol backbone. They are the main form of fat storage in the body and a major component of oils and fats found in foods.


What does it mean to have high triglycerides?

Triglycerides are a kind of fat found in your blood, that your body uses for energy. You need triglycerides to be healthy, but having too much can cause Heart disease. High triglycerides generally doesn't have symptoms, but if it is caused by a genetic condition, you may see xanthomases.


Why are high triglycerides levels a bad thing?

High triglycerides are bad because they increase the risk of heart disease. Triglycerides are a type of lipid found in fats and are the part of fats that are harmful to your body