Cause Of High Cholesterol And Triglycerides

Natural Remedies And Lowering Cholesterol

Its very important to talk to your health professional before using any:

• supplements
• natural remedies
• or complementary therapies.

Sometimes they can do more harm than good. They may interact with any medication that youre taking, which can be dangerous. They can also make your medication less effective. Your doctor needs to know everything that you are taking to ensure that the combination is safe.

If youve been prescribed cholesterol-lowering medication, make sure you take it as directed by your doctor. This is one of the most effective ways to keep your cholesterol levels down.

Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Limiting the amount of alcohol that you consume can help keep your heartand triglyceride levelshealthy. Studies have shown that alcohol can adversely affect your lipids in incremental amounts, so it is suggested that you limit your alcohol to one drink per day if you are assigned female at birth, or two drinks per day if you are assigned male at birth.

Experts suggest that the relationship between alcohol and triglyceride levels is related to alcohol’s effect on the pancreas and liver.

How Often Should I Get A Cholesterol Test

When and how often you should get a cholesterol test depends on your age, risk factors, and family history. The general recommendations are:

For people who are age 19 or younger::

• The first test should be between ages 9 to 11
• Children should have the test again every 5 years
• Some children may have this test starting at age 2 if there is a family history of high blood cholesterol, heart attack, or stroke

For people who are age 20 or older::

• Younger adults should have the test every 5 years
• Men ages 45 to 65 and women ages 55 to 65 should have it every 1 to 2 years

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Casues Of High Triglycerides

Triglyceride levels can fluctuate naturally in response to a number of factors.

These include calorie intake and time of the day.

Eating a meal can cause an increase in triglyceride, which your body may store to use later when it needs energy.

However, these fluctuations are usually short-lived.

But they are part of the reason why doctors may ask you to fast before getting a lipid profile blood test.

While some health conditions can also increase the risk of high triglyceride levels.

According to AHA, these are:

• pregnancy
• having excess body weight or obesity
• diabetes

• immunosuppressant drugs
• hormone medications

Thus, if you are uncertain about the side effects of your specific medication, seek medical advice or speak with your doctor.

How Can I Lower My Cholesterol Level

The first step in reducing your cholesterol is to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. It’s important to keep your diet low in fatty food.

You can swap food containing saturated fat for fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals. This will also help prevent high cholesterol returning.

Other lifestyle changes, such as taking regular exercise and giving up smoking, can also make a big difference in helping to lower your cholesterol.

If these measures don’t reduce your cholesterol and you continue to have a high risk of developing heart disease, your GP may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication, such as statins.

Your GP will take into account the risk of any side effects from statins. The benefit of lowering your cholesterol must outweigh any risks.

Read more about how high cholesterol is treated

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High Triglycerides: Risks Causes And Treatment

High triglycerides levels, also known as hypertriglyceridemia may not cause symptoms.

However, its high levels can indicate underlying issues and are risk factors that lead to a number of health conditions.

In people with other risk factors, regular tests for triglyceride levels are important.

This is because doctors can easily identify when they raise and check for related diseases including high cholesterol.

With the help of dietary changes and an increase in physical activity, you can form the first line of treatment to bring down high triglycerides.

Moreover, in some cases, doctors can also recommend medications to speed up this effect.

General guidelines recommend that most healthy adults should get a test to check the levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, and both HDL and LDL.

While the increase in levels falls into categories of Moderate hypertriglyceridemia: 150499 mg/dl, Severe hypertriglyceridemia: 500 mg/dl or more, and Very severehypertriglyceridemia: 880 mg/dl or more.

Keep on reading to learn more about high triglycerides.

What Are The Risk Factors For High Cholesterol

A number of factors can increase your chances of developing high cholesterol. Common risk factors include:

• having kidney or liver disease
• having a family history of familial hypercholesterolemia

It is possible to minimize some of these risks, such as by stopping smoking or maintaining a moderate weight. However, it is not possible to avoid some of these risk factors, such as getting older or having a family history of inherited high cholesterol.

Talk with your doctor about your individual risk factors and steps you can take to manage the factors that are in your control.

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Risk Of High Triglycerides Levels

It is important to note that triglycerides are a type of fat.

According to the American Heart Association, AHA, triglycerides are the most common type of fat in the body.

Though your body naturally makes triglycerides, some may come from the food you consume.

Moreover, when you eat a meal, your body takes the excess calories that it does not immediately need and turns them into triglycerides.

This can cause triglyceride levels to rise temporarily after a meal.

Your body stores this as fat to bur when it needs energy between meals.

Regular eating too many calories can lead to high triglycerides levels and if your body cannot burn off these calories, and stores them as fat, you can have higher triglyceride levels overall.

Furthermore, having consistent high triglyceride levels can increase your risk of some health issues like atherosclerosis.

In this condition, triglycerides mix with other substances in the blood, like cholesterol, and stick to the wall of the arteries.

This causes them to narrow.

Atherosclerosis is a risk factor for heart disease and serious cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.

Also, high triglyceride levels can also increase the risk of other issues in the organs.

These can include fat accumulation in the liver or pancreas.

A buildup of fat can lead to inflammation and dysfunction in these areas if you do not seek treatment.

Severely high levels of triglycerides can also cause pancreatitis.

What Are The Causes And Symptoms Of High Triglycerides

Causes include obesity, eating too much unhealthy food, genetics, certain illnesses including poorly controlled diabetes, kidney disease, and underactive thyroid . Some drugs, such as steroids and birth control pills, and drinking a lot of alcohol can also cause it.

Most people have no symptoms. Very high levels can cause small fat deposits under the skin and a painful inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis.

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When To Seek Medical Advice

A high triglyceride level often does not produce any symptoms, so this condition is usually diagnosed during routine blood tests including a lipid panel.

If the patient does not have any medical conditions or bad lifestyle choices, then the doctor usually orders a lipid panel to be done every few years to assess the triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

If the triglyceride levels are detected above the normal range in the lipid panel, then the doctor will usually recommend lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet as the first line of treatment for hypertriglyceridemia. If diet and exercise are not effective in lowering the high triglycerides, then medications, such as fibrates or statins are prescribed.

Treatment For High Cholesterol

Making lifestyle changes, especially changing some of the foods you eat, and regular physical activity, are very important to help reduce high LDL cholesterol.

• Move more. Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your heart health. Increasing your physical activity from as little as 10 minutes a day to the Australian governments recommended 30 to 45 minutes a day, five or more days of the week, can help manage your cholesterol levels and reduce your risk of heart disease.
• Quitting smoking reduces the risk of heart disease and can help reduce cholesterol levels. The most effective way to stop smoking is with a combination of stop-smoking medicines and support from a service like Quitline . Speaking to your GP is also a great first step.
• Drinking alcohol doesnt have any health benefits. Alcohol contributesunnecessary kilojoules and is of low nutritional value. Alcohol is not a necessary or recommended part of a heart-healthy eating pattern.If you do drink, to reduce your risk of alcohol-related harm, healthy women and men should drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than four standard drinks on any one day.
• You may also need to take cholesterol-lowering medicines to help manage your cholesterol and reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Talk to your doctor about finding the most appropriate treatment for you.

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Symptoms Of High Blood Cholesterol And Triglycerides

High cholesterol typically doesnt cause any symptoms. Symptoms may only appear after the increased cholesterol has caused significant damage.

For instance, symptoms may come in the form of heart disease symptoms, such as chest pain or nausea and fatigue. A heart attack or stroke may result from uncontrolled cholesterol, among other things.

Should My Child Have A Blood Lipid Test

A lipid screening is a test to look at the levels of the fats in the blood. In the past, doctors felt that children and teens were not at risk for high cholesterol levels. But we now know that children and teens are at risk. This is due to things such as:

• Being inactive from too much screen time and not enough exercise

• High-fat or high-sugar diets

• Obesity

• Family history of high cholesterol levels

Children and teens with high cholesterol are at higher risk for heart disease as adults. Keeping blood cholesterol levels in the normal range reduces this risk.

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What Should My Cholesterol Levels Be

Blood cholesterol is measured in units called millimoles per litre of blood, often shortened to mmol/L.

As a general guide, total cholesterol levels should be:

• 5mmol/L or less for healthy adults
• 4mmol/L or less for those at high risk

As a general guide, LDL levels should be:

• 3mmol/L or less for healthy adults
• 2mmol/L or less for those at high risk

An ideal level of HDL is above 1mmol/L. A lower level of HDL can increase your risk of heart disease.

Your ratio of total cholesterol to HDL may also be calculated. This is your total cholesterol level divided by your HDL level. Generally, this ratio should be below four, as a higher ratio increases your risk of heart disease.

Cholesterol is only one risk factor. The level at which specific treatment is required will depend on whether other risk factors, such as smoking and high blood pressure, are also present.

Good And Bad Cholesterol

You will often hear doctors and dietitians talk about two different types of cholesterol low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol . This way of talking about cholesterol is a convenient shorthand, but strictly speaking, it is not really correct.

Strictly speaking, as any good chemist will tell you, cholesterol is just cholesterol. One molecule of cholesterol is pretty much the same as another. So why do doctors talk about good and bad cholesterol?

The answer has to do with lipoproteins.

Lipoproteins. Cholesterol are lipids, and therefore do not dissolve in a water medium like blood. In order for lipids to be transported in the bloodstream without clumping together, they need to be packaged into small particles called lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are soluble in blood, and allow cholesterol and triglycerides to be moved with ease through the bloodstream.

The behavior of the various lipoproteins is determined by the specific kinds of proteins that appear on their surface. Lipoprotein metabolism is quite complex, and scientists are still working out all the details. However, most doctors concern themselves with two major types of lipoproteins: LDL and HDL.

LDL Cholesterol Bad Cholesterol. In most people, the majority of the cholesterol in the blood is packaged in LDL particles. LDL cholesterol is often called bad cholesterol.

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Procedures To Reduce Cholesterol

Medical procedures that lower cholesterol levels are reserved for people with very high levels of LDL cholesterol that do not respond to diet and lipid-lowering drugs. Such people include those with familial hypercholesterolemia. LDL apheresis is the most commonly done procedure. LDL apheresis is a non-surgical procedure where blood is drawn from the person and the LDL component is separated from the rest of the blood in a special machine. The blood is then returned to the person.

What Health Problems Can High Cholesterol Cause

If you have large deposits of plaque in your arteries, an area of plaque can rupture . This can cause a blood clot to form on the surface of the plaque. If the clot becomes large enough, it can mostly or completely block blood flow in a coronary artery.

If the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your heart muscle is reduced or blocked, it can cause angina or a heart attack.

Plaque also can build up in other arteries in your body, including the arteries that bring oxygen-rich blood to your brain and limbs. This can lead to problems such as carotid artery disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease.

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Some Less Common Conditions

Kidney problems

We have two kidneys, and theyre responsible for cleaning our blood by filtering out waste products which are then removed from the body as urine.

Chronic Kidney Disease . This is the name for a gradual decline in kidney function. People with CKD often have abnormal blood fats raised LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and lower HDL cholesterol. Heart and blood vessel diseases are common in people with CKD so statins and other cholesterol-lowering treatments are recommended if you have CKD.

Nephrotic syndrome. This happens when our kidneys become leaky. It results in protein leaking into the urine. People with nephrotic syndrome often have raised levels of cholesterol and triglycerides too.

Liver conditions

The liver is a very important organ. It is where cholesterol and triglycerides are processed, made or broken down. Bile, a breakdown product of cholesterol, is made in the liver, stored in the gall bladder and released into the gut when we eat a meal. Its role is to help break down fat from food into small drops which can then be easily digested.

Sometimes the production of bile or its release into the gut can become blocked, for example, if gall stones develop from crystallised cholesterol. Symptoms include pain, especially after a fatty meal. The medical name for this is cholestasis, where bile is unable to flow from the liver, and it can cause blood cholesterol levels in the blood to rise.

Gout

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What Exactly Are Triglycerides

Triglycerides are lipids or fats. They are, in part, what helps you sustain energy throughout the day. Your body makes triglycerides from unused calories, stores them, and releases them from fat cells into the blood when they are needed. They may also freely circulate in the bloodstream when introduced.

Triglycerides Level Chart

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Why Should I Lower My Cholesterol

Evidence strongly indicates that high cholesterol can increase the risk of:

• narrowing of the arteries
• transient ischaemic attack often known as a mini stroke
• peripheral arterial disease

This is because cholesterol can build up in the artery wall, restricting the blood flow to your heart, brain and the rest of your body. It also increases the risk of a blood clot developing somewhere in your body.

Your risk of developing coronary heart disease also rises as your bloods cholesterol level increases. This can cause pain in your chest or arm during stress or physical activity .

When Should My Cholesterol Levels Be Tested

Your GP may recommend that you have your blood cholesterol levels tested if you:

• have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease, stroke or mini stroke , or peripheral arterial disease
• have a family history of early cardiovascular disease
• have a close family member who has a cholesterol-related condition
• are overweight

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How To Lower Cholesterol And Triglycerides

• Frequently Asked Questions

Triglycerides are a type of lipid, or fat, your body produces to store extra calories and provide energy. Cholesterol is another lipid that circulates in your blood. Your body uses cholesterol to build cells and produce hormones.

Both triglycerides and cholesterol are essential for your health but having levels that are too high puts your health at risk. Living a healthy lifestyle helps to keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels within a normal range.

This article covers how triglycerides and cholesterol affect your health and how you can lower them naturally.

Other Causes Of High Triglycerides

High triglyceride levels may have other causes besides diet. For some people, high triglycerides are genetic. While dietary changes may help lower them a bit, you may also want to speak with your doctor about whether you also need to take medication.

Pregnancy can also cause a temporary increase in triglycerides. In women who are genetically predisposed, the increase can sometimes be severe and life-threatening.

Some medications can also raise your triglyceride levels. These include:

• Birth control pills containing estrogen
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Soltamox

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