Understanding Triglycerides

Image: Kiwis/Getty Images
Image: Kiwis/Getty Images
TT
20

Understanding Triglycerides

Image: Kiwis/Getty Images
Image: Kiwis/Getty Images

Q. I just got the results of my lipid profile. My cholesterol is high, but so are my triglycerides. What exactly are triglycerides, and how are they different from cholesterol?

A. Triglycerides are the most common form of fat in the bloodstream. They consist of three fatty acid chains linked by a molecule called glycerol.

When you eat food, enzymes in your gut break down fats into their component fatty acids, which are then reassembled to create triglyceride particles. These fatty particles can't move freely through the watery bloodstream. So they combine with cholesterol and protein to form lipoproteins. Your lipid profile lists two of these lipoproteins: low-density lipoprotein (better known as LDL cholesterol) and high-density lipoprotein (also called HDL cholesterol).

But there are actually several other types of lipoproteins, including some that contain mainly triglycerides. Triglycerides can provide energy to fuel your body, while the extras are deposited in fat tissue. After a very heavy, fatty meal, your bloodstream may contain so many triglyceride particles that a blood sample may have a milky tint. But within a few hours, they're mostly cleared out. When you need energy between meals, hormones release the stored triglycerides into the bloodstream.

Your liver also converts carbohydrates into triglycerides. When you eat extra calories — especially from carbohydrate-rich foods such as sweets and white bread — your liver churns out extra triglycerides. Other things that can raise blood levels of triglycerides include being overweight or obese, smoking, or heavy drinking. Certain medical conditions —including diseases affecting the liver, kidneys, or thyroid, and poorly controlled type 2 diabetes — can also lead to high triglycerides.

For healthy adults, normal triglyceride levels are under 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). Values of 151 to 200 mg/dL are considered borderline high; those 201 to 499 are high, and those 500 and higher are very high (and increase the risk of inflammation of the pancreas gland, called pancreatitis). Growing evidence suggests that above-normal triglyceride levels can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease independent of cholesterol levels.

To get your triglycerides back into a normal range, start with lifestyle changes. Aim for a healthy weight, get regular exercise, and eat more whole, unprocessed grains. Eat fewer refined carbohydrates, and cut back on saturated fat from meat. If you drink alcohol and aren't willing to stop, do not exceed moderate amounts (no more than a drink a day for women or two daily for men).

— by Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H.
Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter



Indonesia: Residents Wear Masks as Volcanic Ash Blankets Villages Near Erupting Volcano

A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
TT
20

Indonesia: Residents Wear Masks as Volcanic Ash Blankets Villages Near Erupting Volcano

A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT
A handout photo made available by Indonesia's Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center (PVMBG) shows Mount Lewitobi Lake-laki spewing ash during its eruption in East Flores, Indonesia, 07 July 2025. EPA/PVMBG HANDOUT

Residents wore masks to protect themselves from thick volcanic ash that blanketed roads and green rice fields in villages in south-central Indonesia as rumbling Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki erupted Tuesday for a second straight day.

The eruption at dawn sent lava and clouds of ash up to 4 kilometers (2.4 miles) high. That followed an eruption around midday Monday that sent a column of volcanic materials up to 18 kilometers (11 miles) into the sky and an evening burst that spewed lava and send volcanic ash as high as 13 kilometers (8 miles) into the air, The Associated Press reported.

Photos and videos circulating on social media showed terrified residents ran for their lives under the rain of ash and gravel and motorists struggled to drive motorbikes and cars in the reduced visibility as the ash clouds from Monday's eruption expanded into a mushroom shape.

No casualties have been reported from the latest eruptions of the volcano that has been at the highest alert level since June 18 when its no-go zone was expanded to a 7-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius, said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.

“People around the volcano have increasingly understood how to minimize the impact of disaster risks as eruptions became more frequent since the end of 2023,” Muhari said in a statement.

The eruptions of the volcano on Flores Island affected more than 10,000 people in 10 villages in East Flores and Sikka districts, according to initial assessments by the local disaster management agency.

Thick volcanic ash and rocks were reported to have fallen in villages of Nawakote, Klantanio, Hokeng Jaya, Boru, Pululera and Wulanggitang, where roads and green rice fields were transformed into grey thick mud and rocks, said Very Awales, an public information official at Sikka district administration, adding that schools were closed in those affected areas since Monday to protect students and staff from various hazards due to volcanic activities.

“The smell of sulfur and ash hung so thickly in the air that breathing was painful,” Awales said.

Authorities distributed 50,000 masks and urged residents to limit outdoor activities to protect themselves from volcanic materials. Residents were also urged to be vigilant about heavy rainfall that could trigger lava flows in rivers originating from the volcano.

The eruption of Lewotobi Laki Laki followed its eruption in November 2024 that killed nine people and injured dozens.

The Geology Agency recorded an avalanche of searing gas clouds mixed with rocks and lava traveling up to 5 kilometers (3 miles) down the slopes of the 1,584-meter (5,197-foot) mountain Monday. Observations from drones showed lava filling the crater, indicating deep movement of magma that set off volcanic earthquakes. Volcanic materials, including hot thumb-size gravel, were thrown up to 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the crater.

Muhari said two airports in the cities of Maumere and Larantuka in East Nusa Tenggara province remained closed Tuesday.

Dozens of flights to and from the Ngurah Rai international airport on the resort island of Bali were delayed or canceled, but airport spokesperson Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said the airport was running normally despite the cancellations, as monitoring showed the volcanic ash had not affected Bali’s airspace.