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Loading ...You probably know high cholesterol is bad for your health and that you should stay away from high cholesterol foods to decrease your chances of heart disease, right? Cholesterol and its divisions (HDL and LDL) have been getting all kinds of publicity since their link to artherosclerosis and heart disease.The American Heart Association even knows how many people have high cholesterol, high LDL, low HDL, etc. But they don’t publish statistics about triglycerides. Why? This is because up until a few years ago doctors didn’t know whether or not they were harmful at elevated levels. Simply having a high triglyceride level didn’t necessarily put a person at increased risk of developing heart disease.
What Are Triglycerides?
Triglycerides are the chemical form that most fats in your body are stored as. They are a major source of energy in the body and are acquired directly from the foods we eat in addition to the triglycerides the body makes. Triglycerides are delivered throughout the body much like cholesterol: by attaching to proteins which travel through the bloodstream.
What Causes High Triglycerides?
Because we extract and make triglycerides from eating animal products (meat, milk, butter) and other sources of saturated fats, a diet high in these foods can cause triglyceride levels increase. However there are other things which contribute to high triglyceride levels, including obesity, kidney disease, excessive alcohol consumption, poorly controlled diabetes, or an under-active thyroid.
Why Are High Triglyceride Levels Harmful?
As mentioned previously, it wasn’t until about 2001 that scientists learned for sure that high triglycerides contributed to the same things caused by high cholesterol: artherosclerosis, heart disease, and stroke. Much like cholesterol, excess triglycerides can accumulate in arteries, blocking blood flow and potentially causing organ failure (like a heart attack or stroke).
How High is Too High?
A measurement of triglyceride level is obtained through a simple blood test called a lipid profile, where a doctor takes a blood sample and analyzes it for total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglyceride levels. Lipid profiles usually require the patient to fast for 12 hours prior to the test, as recent meals can cause these levels to change temporarily. The National Heart Association lists the following data for judging triglyceride levels:
- Normal: Less than 150 mg/dL
- Borderline-High: 150 – 199 mg/dL
- High: 200 – 499 mg/dL
- Very High: 500 mg/dL or higher
Is There a Way to Lower High Triglyceride Levels?
One of the best ways to lower triglyceride levels is through diet. Limiting the amount of fats, in general, consumed is necessary for lowering triglycerides. Substituting mono- and polyunsaturated fats for trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol are also good ways to lower both cholesterol and triglycerides.
This can be done by using olive or canola oil instead of butter or margarine when cooking. You can also substitute fish (like salmon, albacore, tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines) which are high in omega-3 fatty acids for red meats (like beef) that tend to be higher in saturated fat.
Sometimes dietary changes aren’t enough to lower potentially harmful high triglyceride levels. There are many natural treatments available that have been shown to help keep triglyceride levels low in addition to diet and exercise. If you worry about your high triglycerides, check out some of these natural treatments.
Sources:
http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/choltri_2.htm
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4778
http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/tc/high-triglycerides-overview
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=536
Written by April Wilson for MicroNutra Health™