Triglycerides are chemicals that are a natural product of the metabolism of fat and oil that we ingest. It is a crucial fuel source in our bodies and gives more energy for the same amount of carbohydrate. Apart from the biological aspect, it is also used in some industrial applications like the decaffeination of coffee and the production of biodiesel. As with nearly all substances in our body, too much of anything causes health problems and this holds true with triglycerides as well. The condition is called hypretriclyderidemia and is especially associated with heart disease. In fact, the measurement of cardiovascular disease by tests uses the levels of triglyceride as a measure. The body creates triglycerides by breaking down oil and fats with digestive enzymes. They are further split down chemically in the intestines and combined with other substances like cholesterol and proteins. These are then sent to the respective parts of the body that require them through the blood stream and the tissues absorb them accordingly.
Stress is a series of psychological and physiologically initiated biochemical reactions that occur in the body. These are triggers and can take the form of deadlines at work, impending danger, relationship pressures and even a lack of sleep. The cycle of stress starts off with an Alarm phase that triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol. Both of these are created in the adrenaline glands above the kidneys. The next stage of the stress cycle is the resistance phase. This is the phase in which the body continues to try to cope with the continuous stress. This stage sees the body’s resources being slowly depleted. Finally comes the Exhaustion phase in which the body finally uses up all it resources in stress and cannot go further; extending this phase results in serious body damage and can be seen in diseases such as diabetes, ulcers and a troubled digestive system.
There are some studies that have been conducted into the relationship between triglycerides and stress. Scientists knew that during a stressful event, the body switches fuel sources to more easily burned carbohydrates instead of fat. In addition, most of the stress we undertake in modern life has little to do with physical activity and stress is something that causes increased brain activity. Since the brain uses carbohydrate sources as fuel, these two factors can cause the triglyceride levels to remain high and clog arteries of the heart.