Triglycerides

Chemically, a triglyceride is an ester formed from glycerol and three fatty acid groups [4]. In body-composition terms, fat mass consists mainly of triglycerides [1].

In the blood, triglycerides are measured in plasma or serum [2]. A 2015 review says moderately raised levels (2-10 mmol/l, or millimoles per liter) signal increased risk of cardiovascular disease or the presence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a liver condition, and very high levels (more than 10 mmol/l) signal a risk of pancreatitis [2]. Lab reports do not all use this unit, so check the unit before comparing a result with these figures. Many genetic and nongenetic factors regulate the concentration [2]. Triglycerides are also tightly linked with other metabolic factors, including atherogenic remnant lipoproteins and small LDL particles, and the review says this makes the independent role of triglycerides in cardiovascular disease difficult to evaluate [2].

On NootropicsWork, triglycerides come up mainly on the omega-3 page. A Cochrane review of 86 randomized trials with 162,796 participants assessed the effects of omega-3 intake on outcomes that included lipids [3]. Blood triglycerides are a graded outcome there, and that page reports what the review found.

A triglyceride result is a marker, not a health event. A change in blood triglycerides tells you about one risk factor that is entangled with others [2]. The same Cochrane review assessed all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events as outcomes in their own right, separately from lipids [3].

• Omega-3: the compound page grades the blood-triglyceride evidence.
• Lean mass: body mass minus fat, which is mainly triglycerides [1].
• Systematic review: the review type cited above.