Fats and triglycerides are related substances that enable you to store excess calories in your body. Fats also help your body maintain certain vital functions, including brain development and inflammation control. Certain types of fat are potentially harmful to your health, and you can also develop health problems if you have too many triglycerides in your bloodstream.
Fats
The fat content in your food supplies you with linoleic and linolenic acid, collectively known as essential fatty acids, notes the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus. Your body needs these acids to function properly and cannot produce them internally. Along with protein and carbohydrates, fats are also a source for the calories that supply your cells with energy; compared with substances in these two other nutrient categories, fats supply more than twice the number of calories per gram. Any time you exercise for more than 20 minutes, your body draws energy directly from your fat stores.
Triglycerides
The fat content in your body, as well as the fat content in your food, is primarily stored in a chemical form called triglyceride. Your body also makes triglycerides from carbohydrates and other energy sources. When you eat, any calories not immediately required by your body are transformed into triglycerides and carried in your bloodstream to your fat cells, or adipose tissue. Between meals, hormones in your body tell this tissue to release enough triglycerides to meet your ongoing calorie needs.
Harmful Fats
Your body naturally produces a type of fat called saturated fat. Typically, this internal supply is all the saturated fat your body requires, and if you add additional sources of this fat to your diet, you can significantly raise your cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease. Common sources of saturated fat include seafood, meat and whole-milk dairy products.
Modern food-production and cooking processes have created another potentially harmful type of fat called trans fat. In addition to raising your levels of harmful cholesterol, trans fat in your diet can contribute to the onset of diabetes or stroke. Common sources of this type of fat include margarine, processed foods and commercially prepared baked goods.
High Triglycerides
If you have too many triglycerides in your bloodstream, you may have an increased risk for coronary artery disease, the American Heart Association reports. Normally, you should have fewer than 150 mg of triglycerides per deciliter of blood. Borderline high levels of triglycerides range from 150 to 199 mg/dL. Triglyceride levels between 200 and 499 mg/dL are considered high, while levels of 500 mg/dL and above are classified as very high.
Considerations
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in your diet can actually improve your cholesterol levels. Sources of monounsaturated fats include hazelnuts, avocados and peanut, and olive oils. Sources of polyunsaturated fats include fish, walnuts, flaxseed, and soybean and corn oils. Adding both these types of fat to your diet can also help lower your triglyceride levels, the heart association notes.
