In the children's book "Matilda," when Bruce Bogtrotter, a student at Crunchem Hall Primary School, steals a chocolate cake from the mean headmistress, Ms. Trunchbull, she punishes the lad by making him eat an enormous cake in front of a school assembly.

Ms. Trunchbull hopes to humiliate Bruce, but fails completely.

She does succeed, however, in getting his triglycerides to spike.

Levels of this blood fat rise when you eat sweet foods, processed carbs, trans and saturated fats, or consume excess alcohol.

Chronically elevated triglyceride levels are associated with obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart problems. Research has shown that men 26 to 54 with the highest triglyceride levels have four times greater risk of heart disease and stroke than those with the lowest levels.

And there's another hazard: A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found even slightly elevated triglyceride levels boost your risk for pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas that causes severe abdominal pain and even can be fatal.

Registering 177 to 265 mg/dL (less than 150 mg/dL is healthy) raises your chance of pancreatitis by a whopping 130 percent.

Ask your doc for a blood test to check your level. If it's even slightly elevated (or even if it isn't) here’s what you should do:

• Eliminate refined grains, added sugars, added syrups, and excess alcohol from your diet.

• Lose weight if you need to; a 5 to 10 percent reduction results in a 20 percent decrease in triglycerides.

• Get at least 30 minutes of physical activity daily, headed for 10,000 steps a day or the equivalent.