Triglycerides are the scientific name for calorie packed FAT, one of your bodys sources of energy and the stuff that gets pumped into fat cells, plumping them - and you - up! Your body can cleverly convert the white toast you had at breakfast (carbohydrate) and the butter slathered on top (fat) into triglycerides.(TGs) These power packs zip through the bloodstream inside chyolesterol particles as well as inside little energy balls called chylomicrons and are packed with TGs....
At healthy levels, TGs fuel your muscles. But extra TGs, the ones your muscles didn't burn because you didn't take a walk yesterday, are thriftily stored as fat. Most TGs hit the bloodstream 3 to 6 hours after a meal and are either burned or stored in 10 to 12 hours, so yesterdays cookies may really be padding your hips today....
Trouble is, extra TGs can also cause blood vessel walls to become clogged with fat. If this fatty gunk bursts into the bloodstream, it can cause blood clots that can kill heart muscle and stop bloodflow to parts of the brain (stroke.)...
Your cholesterol may be normal and yet your triglycerides may be dangerously high. Every man and women should specifically ask for a test of their triglycerides when taking a blood test or all by itself. The normal range is between 100 & 150. Mine was 700 and thats when I learned the dangers and what they were, before I had a heart attack or a stroke. My son who's cholesterol was better than normal had triglycerides of close to 600 and was put on medication and a changed diet for one month and they are now normal. Get yours checked, and it doesn't matter if you're overweight or not....my son is physically fit.
My female doctor explained TGs to me like this: Imagine the usually nice man from down the street, he suddenly goes a little nuts and is waiting for you behind a bush with a big club to wack you on the noggen. Thats how she described them to me, good TGs gone a bit wacky...

[ July 22, 2005, 07:42 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

I'm glad you mentioned this topic Chatty. I too have a struggle with triglycerides, as did both of my parents. The diet changes that I initiated to help control my cholesterol level (along with the meds I take now) seem to have helped the triglyceride problem too. I love the analogy your doctor gave you!!

I'm waiting for the results of my blood work on mine. I had slightly elevated cholesterol and the doctor put me on Lipitor and I started having weak muscles. My right leg would just give out and I'd fall. So, she took me off of that and put me on fish oil and niacin. I'll see if it worked when they call me with the results.

The doctor called today and everything is fine except my cholesterol. It's 237. So, she's putting me on meds for a while to see if that helps...darn it. I didn't want to take medicine. I guess it's a lot better than having a stroke though.

Dianne, now you know why you haven't been "feeling right". I would also research how to lower your cholesterol by changing eating habits. I heard this helps. Just a suggestion.
Glad you found out and can work towards monitoring and correcting it.
chick