Triglycerides are nothing but fats. Animal fats and plants oil are triglycerides. Triglycerides are triesters of glycerol and long chain carboxylic acids called fatty acids.
Although some of the molecules contain three identical fatty acids, in most cases, two or three different acids are present.
More than ninety-nine percent of the fats that people consume are triglycerides. Less than one percent that is left out is cholesterol.
Triglycerides circulate in the blood stream and provide a source of energy. Compared with other energy-yielding macronutrients, triglycerides represent the body’s richest source of energy.
When there are excess triglycerides in circulation, there is an increased risk of a heart attack.
One gram of triglycerides will give 9 calories to the body. The usual blood level of triglycerides is 40-160 mg/100 ml of blood.
Triglycerides are the major energy store that maintain during deprivation. This is true of all mobile animals and because fat is light in relation of its energy yield, it is essential for hibernation and migration.
What are triglycerides?
