It is not easy to understand all the components of blood that affect the cardiovascular system. To understand what triglycerides are, and what their lowered and elevated levels mean, it's pretty simple.
A high rate at times will increase the risk of heart disease, and a low one will increase the likelihood of developing thyroid diseases, which will also have a negative effect on the heart.
Let us consider in more detail what triglycerides are in the biochemical analysis of blood, what this means for the body, when they are raised or lowered, for what reasons there is a change in their level.
What is it
Triglyceridesare chemical compounds that the body assimilates to provide its energy and nutrients. They are
the most common form of fat in the body of , and it is also the main constituent of natural animal fats and vegetable oils.A triglyceride molecule is a form of chemical glycerin that contains three fatty acids. For rapid absorption they decompose into its constituent components in the small intestine, and then re-connected with cholesterol to form chylomicrons which are lipoproteins which are source of energy for all cells in the body.
Performance standards in children, adult men and women
triglycerides optimum values for children under 18 years of 150 mg / dl or lower .
Values between 150 and 199 mg / dL, high at 200-499 mg / dL, very high - more than 500 mg / dl, are considered to be borderline high.
In adults( women and men), the values are slightly different:
| Male | Upper limit: 130 mg / dL + age;Maximum: 200 mg / dL, or 2.3 mmol / L |
| Women | Lower limit: 80 mg / dL + age;Maximum: 165 mg / dl or 1.9 mmol / l |
Optimal parameters in women and men as a function of age:
| Age Normal Range mg / dl | normal range, mmol / l | |||
| 18-29 53-104 | 0,6-1,2 | |||
| 30-39 | 55-115 | 0,6-1,3 | ||
| 40-49 | 66-139 | 0,7-1,6 | ||
| 50-59 | 75-163 | 0Gt; 70 | 83-141 | 0,94-1,6 |
more about the importance of this indicator in the analyzes refer to the video:
reasons for increases and decreases in blood analysis
reasons for high or low level of triglycerides in the blood of men and women differ .For example:
- Moderate exercise reduces the concentration of lipids;
- Weight loss is also associated with a decrease in the serum triglyceride concentration;
- Reducing the intake of saturated fats, trans fats( as well as hydrogenated vegetable oils) and cholesterol( egg yolks, dairy products, margarine, fast food), on the contrary, increases the lipid content, and eating a small amount of carbohydrates lowers it;
- Drinking alcohol increases the lipid content;
- Eating fish can reduce the concentration of triglycerides in the serum because of the high concentration of omega-3 in the serum.
High levels in the diagnosis of cardiovascular and other diseases
Hypertriglyceridemia( elevated triglyceride levels) can provoke hardening of the arteries or densification of their walls( atherosclerosis), which increases the likelihood of developing a stroke, heart attack, or infarction.
Atherosclerosis is a condition characterized by the formation of fatty growths on the walls of the arteries, which leads to their narrowing and hardening. Over time, this process creates situations in which blood becomes difficult to pass through the arteries.
In these "narrow" passages, specific clots( clots, plaques) that can travel through the bloodstream to the brain or heart, that leads to a heart attack or stroke, can form. These clots directly correlate with coronary heart disease.
Sudden death can be the result of the formation of such fatty plaques, because the heart is deprived of the necessary nutrients and oxygen.
Hypertriglyceridemia can cause further types of heart disease and complications. For example, coronary artery disease can lead to heart failure - a gradual deterioration in the ability of the heart to supply the body with blood.
Additional indirect complications arising from elevated triglyceride levels include aortic and peripheral artery disease .This condition is characterized by a decrease in blood flow in the legs. Clogging of vessels associated with peripheral arterial disease reduces the number of nutrients and the concentration of oxygen transported throughout the body.
Hypertriglyceridemia often appears to be a characteristic of other diseases that increase the risk of CVD and heart attack, for example, metabolic syndrome or obesity .In the presence of such diseases, the total blood glucose in the total blood test will be the level of glucose in the serum, as well as the total cholesterol.
Diabetes type 2 is directly associated with an increase in the concentration of triglycerides, as well as hypothyroidism, liver disease( steatosis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, hemahromatosis) or kidney disease( urolithiasis, pyelonephritis, cystitis).
Hypertriglyceridemia may become a side effect of after taking certain medications, such as beta blockers, birth control pills, diuretics( diuretics), or steroids.
Hypertriglyceridemia may be a sign of such diseases and conditions as:
- Cirrhosis of the liver or its severe damage;
- A diet high in simple carbohydrates and low in protein;
- Low thyroid activity;
- Nephrotic syndrome( kidney disorder);
- Cushing's syndrome;
- Polycystic ovary.
Low concentrations and their causes
Hypotriglyceridemia( or low levels of triglycerides) - is rare rare health condition.
The most likely causes of hypotriglyceridemia include:
- Hyperthyroidism ( or thyrotoxicosis) means excess levels of thyroid hormones;
- Malnutrition of - chronic malnutrition depletes the human body. Malnutrition and loss of appetite have a large number of causes, including: cancer, excessive alcohol consumption *, memory loss, depression, tuberculosis, sepsis, surgery);
- Some medications lower the concentration of triglycerides to extremely low values (statins, ascorbic acid, fenofibrate, clofibrate, asparaginase, gemfibrozil);
- Diet with the exception of fats;
- Malabsorption syndrome - in this condition, the patient's body experiences difficulty in digesting food and absorbing nutrients from it. Many diseases cause a violation of absorption of basic nutrients in the gastrointestinal tract. People with fat malabsorption syndrome have extremely low levels of triglycerides.
Excessive consumption of alcohol can increase lipid levels in the blood, causing the liver to produce more fatty acids. But there are some useful aspects of moderate alcohol consumption, for example, a glass of wine or a bottle of beer can balance the level of lipids.
Moderate alcohol use may also slightly increase the number of high density lipoproteins( LDL or "good" cholesterol) and reduce the chances of developing CVD.However, alcohol consumption can not be used as the main therapy.
The increase in thyroid hormone levels is indirectly associated with a low concentration of lipids. And hyperthyroidism itself can provoke the progression of heart complications.
The latter include tachycardia and myocardial weakness( congestive heart failure) - a condition in which the heart is unable to pump the required amount of blood to replenish all the needs of the body. These complications, as a rule, are reversible with the right approach and treatment.
While heart palpitations are the main symptom of hyperteriosis, irregular sinus rhythm of the heart or atrial fibrillation( heart rhythm disorder) is also considered one of the side effects of low triglyceride levels in the heart.
Atrial fibrillation of occurs as a result of chaotic contraction of the upper atria. Instead of transmitting and pumping blood into the ventricles( for coordinated provision of the whole body), the atria become less effective, weakened and disorganized.
Hypotriglyceridemia may be a sign of diseases such as:
- AIDS, HIV( HIV medicines reduce lipid levels to small values, as HIV patients often suffer from hyperlipidemia);
- Medical preparations( antacids, antibiotics);
- Cancer( cirrhosis, renal carcinoma, thyroid adenoma);
- Surgical operations( surgeries for obesity, operations for pelvic organs);
- Chronic liver diseases( hepatocerebral dystrophy, toxic liver damage);
- Pancreatitis;
- Intolerance to milk;
- Period after irradiation or chemotherapy.
Summing up
Triglycerides store most of the body's fats. Their concentration in the blood is measured together with other levels of fats, such as high and low density lipoproteins, as well as cholesterol, they are present in in almost all food products of .
In human blood, triglycerides are a mixture of fats derived from foods and fats produced by the body as an energy source. Elevated and lowered levels are caused by different processes.
They are considered to be an indicator for assessing the probability of developing atherosclerosis, thyroid disorders, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure. Elevated concentrations of triglycerides in the biochemical assay are present along with high levels of glucose in the blood and cholesterol, and lowered - together with low ESR and platelets.