What Is a Triglyceride Composed Of?

"Triglyceride"--you've probably heard this word on TV or from your doctor. And although you know it's unhealthy and found in foods, you may not know exactly what it is or how it works inside your body. The goal of this article is to define the structure of a triglyceride as well as its role in nutrition.

Definition

• A triglyceride is an organic compound that consists of three "fatty acid" chains (i.e., long chains of carbon-to-carbon bonds), each linked to single glycerol molecule which serves as a "backbone" for the entire molecule. While glucose (commonly known as "sugar") is what individual cells use for energy, triglycerides (commonly known as "fats") are what the body uses for long-term energy storage. In fact, the body will often convert excess blood sugar into triglycerides in the liver for later usage.

Types

• Triglycerides/fats fall into three major categories based on the characteristics of their fatty acid chains: saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats have only single covalent bonds between the carbon atoms. This structure makes the molecules more likely to form solids at room temperature; when in the blood, these fats make the blood more viscous and "gooey." Unsaturated fats, however, have fatty acid chains with exactly one carbon-to-carbon double bond. This allows the molecules to be more fluid, forming liquids at room temperature. Polyunsaturated fats simply feature more than one double bond.
  Interestingly, unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats seem to reduce the levels of saturated fats in the blood. Some speculate that the non-polar liquid unsaturated fats help dissolve the non-polar saturated fats, making the blood less viscous.

Triglycerides and Heart Disease

• Although an exact mechanism has yet to be determined, many clinical studies show a strong link between high triglyceride levels and heart disease. The strongest link is between triglycerides and arteriosclerosis: the hardening of the walls of the arteries, leading to increased blood pressure and heart fatigue. Also, data shows that, among people who already have confirmed heart disease, patients with high triglyceride levels die at a greater rate than those with lower levels. Likewise, after bypass surgery, patients with normal levels had a better rate of survival than those with high levels.

Causes of High Triglyceride Levels

• While eating foods high in saturated fats (e.g., red meat, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter and palm oil) is the most common contributor to triglyceride levels, sugary foods can play an important part too. As we mentioned earlier, the liver has the ability to convert excess glucose (i.e., sugar) in the blood into triglycerides for storage.
  If you consume too many sweets and don't exercise, your constantly high blood sugar level will force your liver to compensate by producing an excess of triglycerides in an attempt to reduce the former. For example, as a person develops diabetes, the body relies less on the conversion of glucose to glycogen and more on the conversion of glucose to saturated triglycerides.
  However, high triglyceride levels can also serve as a "canary-in-the-coal-mine" for serious disorders unrelated to diet. The thyroid gland secretes hormones that play a critical role in regulating triglyceride levels. Increased triglycerides in the blood can therefore signal an improperly functioning gland.

How To Lower Triglyceride Levels

• Unless a genetic disorder or kidney failure is the cause, triglyceride levels can be reduced and/or controlled simply by reducing the amount of saturated fat in your diet, increasing the amount of unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (soybeans, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, Omega-3 fish oil pills, flaxseed oil pills), cutting your intake of unnecessary sweets (candy, soda, desserts) and exercising regularly.
  Otherwise, thyroid medication and cholesterol-lowering medication like Lipitor have proven to be effective at lowering triglyceride levels.