How Do I Improve My Triglycerides

Good Vs Bad Cholesterol: How To Raise Hdl And Lower Ldl Naturally

Cholesterol levels can be confusing. The usual goal is low cholesterol levels, and people try to avoid consuming too much cholesterol. There are two kinds of cholesterol if you dont have enough of the good kind, highdensity lipoprotein or HDL, youre at a greater risk for heart problems.

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How To Lower Triglycerides And Cholesterol Naturally

Your genes, diet, and lifestyle all affect your triglyceride and cholesterol levels. Some people naturally produce more triglycerides and cholesterol than others. This is based on their genetics and family history. Still, these levels are just part of your overall lipid levels, and lifestyle changes are one of the best ways to keep your numbers within a healthy range.

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How Can You Lower Triglyceride Levels

If you are diagnosed with high blood triglycerides, your doctor may first recommend that you adopt heart-healthy lifestyle changes. These may include:

• Choosing heart-healthy foods and limiting alcohol, added sugars, and foods high in saturated fat
• Getting regular physical activity
• Aiming for a healthy weight
• Getting enough good quality sleep
• Managing stress

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Exercising To Lower Triglycerides

Summary

While nutrition probably has the most significant impact on triglycerides, exercise can also lower your levels. But not all forms of exercise produce equally promising results.

When it comes to lowering triglycerides, higher intensity exercise is best.34

There are different ways to define high-intensity exercise. The most common is achieving greater than 85% of your maximum heart rate. However, a more useful definition may be a level of exercise where you can no longer have a conversation or a level you can maintain for only a few minutes.

Resistance training, involving a moderate amount of weight and high repetitions, can also help with triglyceride levels. Lifting extra heavy weight fewer times produces less of a significant effect.35

Does this mean lower intensity exercise doesnt provide health benefits? Of course not. As we detail in our in-depth exercise guide, physical activity of any kind has multiple health benefits.

Even if you cant get to the point where exercise impacts your triglycerides, dont let that discourage you. Carry on to maintain your muscles, strengthen your bones, and build your fitness one step at a time.

What Are Risk Factors For High Triglycerides

Factors that may raise triglyceride levels include:

• Excessive alcohol use.

• American Academy of Family Physicians. High Cholesterol. Accessed 11/182/2021.
• American Heart Association. Cholesterol. Accessed 11/18/2021.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting Your Cholesterol Checked. Accessed 11/18/2021.
• Hormone Health Network. Triglycerides. Accessed 11/18/2021.
• MedlinePlus. Triglycerides Test. Accessed 11/18/2021.
• Merck Manual Consumer Version. Overview of Cholesterol and Lipid Fats. Accessed 11/18/2021.
• National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. High Blood Triglycerides. Accessed 11/18/2021.

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Consider The Bigger Picture

Certain health issues can affect your triglyceride level. Type 2 diabetes, for instance, is a risk factor for high triglycerides. So are thyroid issues and kidney diseases like uremia.

If youre concerned about your triglycerides, it makes sense to see your doctor for a head-to-toe checkup to see if any underlying causes could potentially be at play.

/1110 Simple Ways To Lower Your Triglyceride Levels

Triglyceride is a type of fat in your blood. When you eat, your body converts the calories you do not need into triglycerides and stores them in the fat cells to be used as energy later.

Triglycerides are important for the body as they provide us with energy but too much of triglyceride can increase ones risk of heart disease.

Conditions responsible for high triglyceride levels include uncontrolled diabetes, too much alcohol intake, sedentary lifestyle and too much consumption of processed and sugary food items.

Here are 10 ways to lower your triglyceride levels naturally.

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Work In Some More Movement To Your Daily Tasks

Do I need to start running every day? Do I need to join a gym or buy a bunch of home fitness equipment? If you want to, go ahead! But there are many other choices, and finding a routine that works for you is whats most important. After all, the best exercise for heart health, is the one that youll stick with.

Simple swaps to get more exercise each day

Ideally, you want to aim for at least 2.5 hours of moderate physical activity every week. You can break that up however you like. You might focus on doing something every day, or you could dedicate yourself to just a few days per week. The key is to just get started.

For example, do you usually take the elevator? Take the stairs instead. Do you walk your dog every day? Go a little farther than usual or walk at a faster pace. Need to go shopping? Park farther away than you normally do. Catching up on your favorite TV series? Try stretching, dumbbells or kettlebells while youre watching rather than just sitting on the couch. Also look for chances to bring motion into your daily life, such as walking while you talk on the phone.

If youre feeling good, work up to more intense physical activity, like swimming laps, jogging or hot yoga. Dont overexert yourself, but remember that regular and consistent exercise has benefits beyond managing your cholesterol. It also helps reduce blood pressure and builds your overall physical, mental and emotional well-being.

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What Are High Triglycerides

Triglycerides are a type of fat-like substance in the blood that the body uses for energy. Some triglycerides are needed but too much of them can put people at higher risk for heart attack, stroke, inflammation of the pancreas, and other health problems.

What Are Symptoms of High Triglycerides?

High triglycerides also can run in families.

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Know The Dangers Of Trans Fats

Trans fats are dangerous for your heart, because they raise low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels. The chief culprit youll see on product labels is partially hydrogenated oil. Trans fats are the result of adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to increase shelf life. This may make some baked and fried foods taste better, but trans fats are very unhealthy, particularly for people with high triglycerides. In fact, trans fats should make up less than 1 percent of your total calories, according to the World Health Organization. Check your food labels: If a food contains trans fats or hydrogenated oils, leave it on the shelf.

Look At Your Prescription Meds

A bunch of different drugs can potentially raise triglyceride levels, including oral estrogen, corticosteroids, and antipsychotic drugs.

If your numbers recently measured high, be sure to review any prescription drugs you might be taking with your doctor. If one of your meds is the culprit, you can talk figure out a plan for protecting your heart health.

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Putting It All Together

Improving triglyceride levels is simple. From a dietary perspective, all you have to do is two things: eat fewer carbs and eat more marine-derived omega 3s.

The best way to do this is by implementing a Mediterranean-style ketogenic diet. To follow this diet correctly, you must:

• Restrict carbohydrate
• Eat plenty of nuts, olives/olive oil, low-carb vegetables, and fatty fish like sardines and salmon

To enhance your results, you can also:

• Restrict calories to lose weight
• Implement a sleep schedule and improve sleep quality
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day
• Supplement with marine-derived omega 3s, curcumin, niacin, and/or garlic extract
• Eat more MCTs from coconut oil or an MCT oil supplement
• Avoid alcohol, trans fats, and added sugar

However, even if you implement these triglyceride lowering suggestions flawlessly, you will only know if they worked by getting a blood test.

What Foods Increase Triglycerides

by Health Professional

What does having high triglycerides mean? Is that bad? And can you do anything about it?

High triglycerides, which usually means a value greater than 150 mg/dl after an overnight fast, is among the most misunderstood of common tests. Yet it is among the most important and insightful numbers of the four values on any standard cholesterol panel.

One of the most common triglyceride myths is that eating fats increases triglyceride. But that’s only a half-truth, since fats do indeed increase triglycerides-but only if triglycerides are measured after eating . The real story is that fats in the diet triglycerides-at all other times except after a meal. The higher the fat content of your diet, the lower your triglycerides will be in a fasting blood draw. This has been well-established in numerous diet trials comparing low-fat with low-carbohydrate diets.

Why do fats increase triglycerides after eating? The reason is simple: Dietary fats are triglycerides. Absorbing the fats thereby increases blood levels of triglycerides up to several-fold.

Here’s where it gets confusing: While dietary fats cause triglycerides to increase after eating, carbohydrates cause triglycerides to increase at all other times. This means that carbohydrates , like breads, pasta, breakfast cereals, pretzels, crackers, potatoes, soft drinks, and candies increase fasting triglycerides if consumed habitually.

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Saturated And Trans Fats

Saturated fats can raise triglyceride levels. They can be found in fried foods, red meat, chicken skin, egg yolks, high-fat dairy, butter, lard, shortening, margarine, and fast food. Alternatives include:

• Lean proteins such as skinless white chicken meat and fish
• Olive oil, canola oil, and peanut oil

Trans fats are hydrogenated fats that can be found in some packaged and fried foods. Trans fats have been banned, with exceptions, from the food supply in the U.S.

Clinical And Biochemical Measurements

Patient clinical characteristics were recorded, including gender, age, body mass index and history of hypertension, diabetes, and smoking. The anthropometric measurements were assessed after overnight fasting for at least 10 hours. On the first day and at the end of the 8 weeks, peripheral blood samples were collected in the early morning in the fasting state. Plasma highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol , LDLC, and triglyceride concentrations were measured on a Hitachi 7170A analyzer by a specialist in our department who was unaware of the study allocation. Serum sample aliquots were stored in a freezer at 80°C.

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Some People May Respond Best To A Low

For those with severely elevated triglycerides , there is a case for low-fat diets being equally good if not better than low carb in some situations.

One study finds that those with triglycerides below 400 mg/dL respond best to low-carb diets, but those with triglycerides greater than 400 mg/dL respond best to low-fat diets.24

However, case reports document a decrease in severely elevated triglycerides with low-carb, high-fat diets.25

Its important to understand the cause of elevated triglycerides, as that may impact the proposed dietary treatment. If someone has a genetic cause, such as familial chylomicronemia or lipoprotein lipase deficiency, a low-fat diet may be more effective.26

Aside from these extreme examples, there is no evidence to support a low-fat diet as being better than a low-carb diet for reducing elevated triglycerides.

Is It Possible To Lower Triglycerides Naturally

Similar to cholesterol, triglycerides come from the food we eat and our liver. When levels are normal, triglycerides are used for energy. The problems arise when levels are high, explains Dr. Nissen. When we make more triglycerides than we use, the rest are stored as fat. Thats why many people who are overweight or have type 2 diabetes have high levels.

Poor diabetes control is a major factor in causing high triglyceride levels, Dr. Nissen says. He stresses the importance of watching your carbohydrate consumption. Eating a low-carb diet and getting plenty of exercise are often effective in lowering triglyceride levels.

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Which Is Better The Low

In another randomized controlled trial, the effects of a Mediterranean-style weight-loss diet were compared with low-carbohydrate and low-fat energy-restricted diets.After six months, triglyceride levels were reduced the most in the low-carb diet group. However, after 12 months, the Mediterranean-style diet showed similar reductions in triglycerides as the low carbohydrate diet.

After six months, triglyceride levels were reduced the most in the low-carb diet group. However, after 12 months, the Mediterranean-style diet showed similar reductions in triglycerides as the low carbohydrate diet.

How could this happen? How could two completely different diets provide us with similar triglyceride lowering effects? Lets dig through the biochemistry to see how this could be the case.

Ways To Reduce Elevated Triglycerides

: Simple sugars are the primary ingredient of triglycerides and hence excess intake of sweets or drinks can raise triglycerides. Eliminate intake of food items loaded with sugars like cookies, pastries, sweet desserts, and fruit juices.

: Drinking alcohol raises triglyceride levels. For people who are sensitive, a small amount of alcohol can trigger it.

Reduce intake of refined carbohydrate-containing foods: Intake of refined cereals like white rice, bread, pasta made from white flour, or cornflakes can significantly raise triglycerides in sensitive individuals. Instead choose whole grains such as multigrain chapatti, and other grains such as quinoa, barley and millet.

Choose foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids, the “good” fats! Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to significantly reduce the elevated triglycerides level. Hence include foods high in omega-3 fatty acids such fatty fish , flax seeds, flaxseed oil, Almonds and legumes. Checkout 25 foods and 7 days diet to lower triglycerides.

Maintain a healthy weight: You may be surprised to discover that a modest weight loss of 5-6 kg can reduce your triglycerides, cholesterol level, and decrease your risk of heart disease. Eat a healthy diet to lose weight and prevent lifestyle diseases like diabetes, CVD, etc.

Eat more plant foods! Vegetable proteins such as beans, peas, nuts and lentils are excellent ways to improve your health and will have a direct effect on lowering your triglycerides and cholesterol.

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And Limit Unhealthy Ones

Namely, trans fats or partially hydrogenated oils, which sometimes show up in baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, refrigerated dough , nondairy creamers, and margarines.

Eating these harmful fats can send your triglycerides up in just a few short weeks, not to mention raise your LDL cholesterol and lower your HDL cholesterol.

Include Nuts In Your Diet

Nuts provide a concentrated dose of fiber and healthy fats, which work together to lower blood triglycerides.

An analysis of 61 studies on the effects that nuts have on our health showed that each serving of tree nuts decreased triglycerides by 2.2 mg/dL. Other epidemiological studies found that you will get the greatest health benefits if you consume between 37 servings of nuts per week.

Here are some nutty recipes you can try to get more nuts in your diet:

• Pistachio and Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

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How To Improve Triglycerides And Glucose Through Exercise

And then you can exercise. Exercise is so, so, so beneficial. Even if you’re really busy, you’re not a morning person, you’re not an evening person, you’re not a workout at lunch person, just a dedicated 10 to 20 minutes of exercise a day can make a huge difference in your lab levels.

Weight loss can also help. If you lose any sort of body fat mass or fat pounds, make sure it’s coming from the right place. We want weight loss from fat and not muscle. But as long as you’re losing fat, most levels increase in a good way. They improve.

You can do that by incorporating some of the things I talked about, lowering your carb intake and alcohol intake, replacing those with healthy nutrient-dense veggies and fruit, and then get your exercise in every day. Get your protein in. Get your veggies and fruits. Get your exercise in. And your lab results will improve as well.

Eat More Protein & Unsaturated Fats

Compared to a diet high in carbs, diets rich in protein and unsaturated fat reduced triglycerides by about 10 mg/dL in a study of 164 people with high blood pressure .

Diets high in monounsaturated fats, found in olive oil and avocados, decreased triglyceride levels better than a high-carb diet over 7-weeks in 85 people with an increased risk of heart disease. An olive-oil-rich diet also decreased the buildup of triglycerides in the liver .

A diet high in monounsaturated fats and omega-3s decreased triglyceride levels in 17 men with moderately increased triglycerides .

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Triglycerides In Your Blood

In addition to cholesterol, your blood also contains a type of fat called triglycerides, which are stored in your bodys fat deposits. Hormones release triglycerides to make energy between meals.

When you eat, your body converts any extra energy it doesnt need right away into triglycerides.Like cholesterol, your body needs triglycerides to work properly. However, there is evidence to suggest that some people with high triglycerides are at increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you regularly eat more energy than you need, you may have high triglycerides.

Pancreatitis Is A Unique Risk Of High Triglyceride Levels

You may not have heard of it before, but pancreatitis is the name for extreme inflammation of the pancreas, which is one of your vital organs. Pancreatitis is a serious disease with a high rate of hospitalization and sometimes even life-threatening complications.

When the pancreas becomes inflamed, the symptoms typically include nausea, vomiting, and severe upper abdominal pain. The two main causes are gallstones and heavy alcohol use though, many times, the exact cause cannot be identified. High triglyceride levels can be a trigger in up to 7% of acute episodes of pancreatitis. Other causes include:

• Some medications

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