Why Knowing Your Triglyceride Number Matters

Many of us can rattle off our latest cholesterol number at the drop of a hat. Keeping an eye on your cholesterol is important but there's another number you also should have memorized - your triglycerides. However, if asked about our triglyceride number, most of us have little to know idea what it is. That's too bad because our triglyceride number reveals quite a bit of how healthy we are or not. The good news is there are many steps we can take to get it in a healthier range starting today. What are triglycerides? Triglycerides (TG) are the most common type of fat in the body and are an important measure of heart health. TGs come from certain foods and they are also produced naturally in the body by the liver. When you eat, calories that are not used as energy are converted into TGs and stored as fat. Eating more calories than we need or what we burn, can lead to high triglycerides known as hypertriglyceridemia. What's the difference between TGs and cholesterol? TGs and cholesterol both circulate throughout your body in your bloodstream but are separate types of fat. TGs take calories that have not been used and will store those calories to provide your body with energy. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in all cells of the body. It is used to make some hormones, vitamin D, and substances that digest our food. Why do high triglycerides matter? A high triglyceride level may contribute to atherosclerosis or thickening of the artery walls which increases the...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news