Is High Triglyceride bad for your health? How to lower it
5 minutes read.
Triglycerides are lipids (waxy fats) that provide your body energy. Your body makes triglycerides and also gets it from the foods you eat.
High triglycerides combined with high cholesterol raise your risk of heart attack, stroke, and pancreatitis. Diet and lifestyle changes can keep triglyceride levels in a healthy range.
In this article:
What are triglyceride?
Normal vs High Triglyceride
Is high triglyceride bad for you?
What are triglycerides?
Triglycerides are a type of fat (lipid) found in your blood.
When you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need to use right away into triglycerides. The triglycerides are stored in your fat cells. Later, hormones release triglycerides for energy between meals.
If you regularly eat more calories than you burn, particularly from high-carbohydrate foods, you may have high triglycerides (hypertriglyceridemia).
Normal vs High Triglyceride
Here’s what’s considered normal or high triglycerides.
A simple blood test can reveal whether your triglycerides fall into a healthy range:
Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L)
Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L)
High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol/L)
Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or above)
Your doctor will usually check for high triglycerides as part of a cholesterol test, which is sometimes called a lipid panel or lipid profile. You’ll have to fast before blood can be drawn for an accurate triglyceride measurement.
Is high triglyceride bad for your health?
High triglycerides are bad for your health because it may contribute to the hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (arteriosclerosis) — which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
Extremely high triglycerides can also cause acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
Signs & Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of high triglycerides include:
- heart disease
- stroke,
- obesity
- metabolic syndrome (a cluster of conditions that includes too much fat around the waist, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels). It’s known to be a condition when high blood pressure, obesity, and high blood sugar occur at the same time, increasing your risk of heart.
- Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes
- Low levels of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism). Is a rare genetic condition that affects how your body converts fat to energy
Effects of Medication on high triglycerides
Certain medications you’re taking may contribute to an increase in your body’s triglycerides.
For example, high triglycerides are a side effect of taking certain medications, such as:
- Diuretics
- Estrogen and progestin
- Retinoid
- Steroids
- Beta-blockers
- Some immunosuppressant
- Some HIV medications
How to lower high triglycerides naturally?
The best method to lower and maintain normal triglycerides is to choose to live a healthy lifestyle.
For example;
1.Exercise regularly
Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most or all days of the week.
Regular exercise can lower triglycerides and boost “good” cholesterol. Try to incorporate more physical activity into your daily tasks — for example, climbing the stairs at work or taking a walk during breaks.
2. Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates, such as sugar and foods made with white flour or fructose, can increase triglycerides.
3. Lose weight
If you have mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia, focus on cutting calories. Extra calories are converted to triglycerides and stored as fat. Reducing your calories will reduce triglycerides.
4. Choose healthier fats
Trade saturated fat found in meats for healthier fat found in plants, such as olive and canola oils. Instead of red meat, try fish high in omega-3 fatty acids — such as mackerel or salmon. Avoid trans fats or foods with hydrogenated oils or fats.
5. Limit how much alcohol you drink
Alcohol is high in calories and sugar and has a particularly potent effect on triglycerides. If you have severe hypertriglyceridemia, avoid drinking any alcohol.
What type of medication can lower high triglycerides?
On some occasions where healthy lifestyle changes aren’t enough to control high triglycerides, your doctor might recommend drugs like:
- Statins
These cholesterol-lowering medications may be recommended if you also have poor cholesterol numbers or a history of blocked arteries or diabetes. Examples of statins include atorvastatin calcium (Lipitor) and rosuvastatin calcium (Crestor).
- Fibrates
Fibrate medications, such as fenofibrate (TriCor, Fenoglide, others) and gemfibrozil (Lopid), can lower your triglyceride levels. Fibrates aren’t used if you have severe kidney or liver disease.
- Fish oil
Also known as omega-3 fatty acids, fish oil can help lower your triglycerides. Prescription fish oil preparations, such as Lovaza, contain more-active fatty acids than many nonprescription supplements.
Fish oil taken at high levels can interfere with blood clotting, so talk to your doctor before taking any supplements.
- Niacin
Niacin (vitamin B3) sometimes called nicotinic acid, can lower your triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein ( LDL ) cholesterol — the “bad” cholesterol and raise your HDL
Talk to your doctor before taking over-the-counter niacin because it can interact with other medications and cause significant side effects.
If your doctor prescribes medication to lower your triglycerides, take the medication as prescribed. And remember the significance of the healthy lifestyle changes you’ve made. Medications can help — but lifestyle matters, too.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is the difference between triacylglycerol, Triglyceride, and glycerol?
Triacylglycerol is the correct chemical name for triglyceride. Triacylglycerol (triglyceride) released from adipocytes (fat tissue) during lipolysis (breakdown of fat) produces glycerol. Accumulation of excess Triglyceride in the liver results in hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver).
The very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles carry Triglyceride made in the liver to extrahepatic tissues (outside the liver).
Triglycerides are the main constituent of vegetable and animal fats in the diet and are the main constituent of the body’s fat stores. Serum or plasma total Triglyceride concentrations may be determined to assess metabolic disorders.
What’s the difference between triglycerides and cholesterol?
Triglycerides and cholesterol are different types of lipids that circulate in your blood:
Triglycerides store unused calories and provide your body with energy while Cholesterol is used to build cells and certain hormones.
Conclusion
Triglycerides are lipids (waxy fats) that provide your body energy. Your body makes triglycerides and also gets it from the foods you eat.
A simple blood test can reveal whether your triglycerides fall into a healthy range:
Normal — Less than 150 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL), or less than 1.7 millimoles per liter (mmol/L)
Borderline high — 150 to 199 mg/dL (1.8 to 2.2 mmol/L)
High — 200 to 499 mg/dL (2.3 to 5.6 mmol/L)
Very high — 500 mg/dL or above (5.7 mmol/L or above)
High triglycerides is bad for your health because it may contribute to the hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (arteriosclerosis) — which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.
Extremely high triglycerides can also cause acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
The signs and symptoms of high triglycerides include heart disease, stroke, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.
The best method to lower and maintain normal triglycerides is to choose to live a healthy lifestyle which includes exercising, limiting or quitting alcohol intake, and eating a heart-healthy diet listed in this article.
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