Library · Molecule
Triglycerides
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Triglycerides are a type of fat, and the most common one in the body. They come from two sources: the food we eat and the calories we take in that the body does not need at that moment.
Those extra calories are not thrown away. The body turns them into triglycerides and stores them in fat cells, the way you would store food in a pantry, and draws on them when it needs energy. To move through the blood, triglycerides travel inside particles called lipoproteins: VLDL and chylomicrons. VLDL carries triglycerides to the tissues.
Like trucks, chylomicrons leave the small intestine loaded and unload in the tissues. That unloading is hydrolysis: the triglyceride splits apart and releases free fatty acids. Muscle uses them as fuel, and adipose tissue, which is the body's fat, stores them.
In brief
Triglycerides, the most common type of fat in the body, come from food and from calories we eat that the body does not need right away.
They are stored in fat cells and released when energy is needed; in the blood they travel in lipoproteins: VLDL carries them to the tissues.
Chylomicrons, also lipoproteins, leave the small intestine; in the tissues, triglycerides are hydrolyzed into free fatty acids, which muscle uses for energy and adipose tissue stores.
Sources (2)
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of MedicineTriglycerides, MedlinePlusPublished
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHypertriglyceridemia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated