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How To Lower My Triglycerides Level

A Promising New Treatment For High Triglycerides

5 Ways to Lower Your Triglyceride Levels
  • By Gregory Curfman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Former Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Health Publishing

When you think about fat circulating in the bloodstream, you might immediately think of cholesterol. But theres another type of fat you shouldnt ignore: triglycerides. As with cholesterol, high triglycerides can also increase the risk of having a heart attack. Existing drugs for lowering triglycerides arent that good at reducing heart attack risk. Thats why a report on a new way to lower triglycerides, New England Journal of Medicine, is generating some excitement among cardiologists.

Eat More Medium Chain Triglycerides

Yes, you read that correctly. To improve health and triglyceride levels, you should consume more triglycerides. But make sure they are the medium-chain kind of triglyceride.

MCTs are different from the long chain triglycerides that we commonly find in dairy and meat because they skip the normal process of fat digestion and go straight to the liver. In the liver, the MCTs are often converted into ketones for fuel.

For this reason, many studies have found MCTs to increase weight loss when compared to other healthy fats like olive oil. Believe it or not, MCTs also have been found to decrease triglycerides more than olive oil as well.

Coconut oil is the best natural source of MCTs . However, if you need an unmistakable energy boost that eliminates your cravings right away, then supplement with pure MCT oil. Blend it into your morning coffee or keto pumpkin spice latte or use it as the oil for your salad dressings.

How To Quickly Lower Your Triglycerides

You might be wondering what are triglycerides and how do I know if mine are too high?Triglycerides are a type of fat found in our blood that our bodies use for energy. Having a healthy number of triglycerides can be very beneficial in maintaining good health however, when your triglyceride levels get too high, your health may be at risk.

What kind of risk are we talking about?Your triglycerides are measured through simple blood testing. A count of 150 and lower has been commonly referred to as a normal level amount. If you fall in between 200 and 500, your levels are commonly referred to as high or very high. Its at this level that your body becomes more vulnerable to increased risk of metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Regularly consuming more calories than you burn, consuming a lot of alcohol, and poorly-managed diabetes are a few of the causes of high triglyceride levels.

If you are over the age of 18, have high triglyceride levels and feel like youre out of options, a new 12-week research study at FMC Science may be an option for you. If you qualify for this study, all participants will be seen by a board certified physician get paid for time & travel all study medication, exams & tests will be paid at no cost to you-NO OUT OF POCKET COSTS! No insurance is required to participate! To learn more call FMC Science at 512-556-4130 or click below.

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How Are High Triglycerides Treated

The best ways to lower triglycerides include losing weight, eating fewer calories, and exercising regularly . Diet changes that may help include avoiding fats and sugar and refined foods . Also avoid alcohol and limit fats found in meats high in saturated fat, egg yolks, and whole milk products. Trans fats, found in fried foods and commercial baked products, are unhealthy. Eat healthy monounsaturated fatsolive, peanut, and canola oils. Eat fish high in omega-3 fatty acids instead of red meat.

If diet changes and exercise dont work, medicines such as nicotinic acid , fibrates , and omega-3 fatty acids can help lower triglycerides. Niacin side effects limit its use. Cholesterol-lowering medications known as statins can also lower triglycerides, but their effect is limited.

Its also important to control diabetes since a high sugar level will also increase triglycerides.

What Are Triglycerides And Why Do They Matter

Pin on Cholesterol Diet

Triglycerides are a type of lipid, or fat, in the your blood. Any calories that arent needed when you eat are converted into triglycerides and stored in your fat cells. Then your hormones release triglycerides for energy in between meals. This cycle only becomes problematic when you eat more calories than you burn, which leads to high triglycerides, also called hypertriglyceridemia.

The National Cholesterol Education Program labels triglyceride levels in the following way:

  • Normal less than 150 milligrams per deciliter
  • Borderline high 150199 milligrams per deciliter
  • High 200499 milligrams per deciliter
  • Very high 500 milligrams per deciliter or higher

Triglycerides and cholesterol are different types of lipids that circulate in the blood. While triglycerides store calories that arent used and provide the body with energy, cholesterol is used to build cells and produce certain hormones. High-density lipoprotein helps remove fat from the body by binding with it in the bloodstream and carrying it back to the liver for disposal. Low-density lipoprotein carries mostly fats and only a small amount of protein from the liver to other parts of the body.

Read Also: What Can You Eat With High Cholesterol

Lose Weight If Overweight

Eating more calories than you burn is the primary cause of high triglycerides, per Medical News Today. This is because excessive energy intake is converted into excessive triglycerides — making obesity and being overweight a risk factor for high triglycerides.

Eating fewer calories than you burn, on the other hand, forces the body to burn through the excess triglycerides for energy, resulting in a reduction in blood triglycerides. This explains why even a modest 5-10% weight loss can reduce triglyceride levels as much as 20%, and also explains the direct correlation between pounds lost and reduction in triglyceride levels.

The National Lipid Association recommends focusing on smaller portions of calorie-dense foods and larger portions of low-calorie yet filling foods like vegetables and lean meats to help with weight loss and reduce triglycerides. Other tips that can help weight loss include limiting starchy foods, getting 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week, limiting or avoiding alcohol consumption, and limiting one’s intake of sugary foods.

Do I Have To Take A Drug

When dealing with triglycerides, lowering them is not always necessary. A healthy lifestyle is a good way to help lower triglycerides. Regular exercise, healthy eating, and not smoking all help in lowering triglycerides, but they dont always have the immediate results that a drug can. As a natural supplement, antioxidants can help in lowering triglycerides. Antioxidants can help lower LDL and triglycerides. When dealing with an immediate problem, however, you may want to consider a drug. This can help with reducing triglycerides. Some of these include:

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What Is A High Triglyceride Level

High triglycerides can be dangerous to your health. Unfortunately, high triglycerides, like high cholesterol, rarely causes symptoms. Its vital to get routine lipid blood tests to check cholesterol numbers.

Your healthcare provider determines total cholesterol by looking at a combination of triglycerides, HDL and LDL numbers. If your triglycerides and LDL cholesterol are high, but your HDL is low, you have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

For the most accurate reading, you should fast 8 to 12 hours before a lipid blood test. A healthy number for triglycerides is below 150 milligrams per deciliter .

Your healthcare provider classifies high triglyceride levels as:

  • Mild: 150-199 mg/dL.
  • Severe: Greater than 500 mg/dL.

And Limit Unhealthy Ones

How To Lower Your Triglycerides Fast And Naturally

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.

Recommended Reading: What Is A Normal Cholesterol Reading

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:

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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    Taking Medications To Lower Triglycerides

    Summary

    However, most medications and even supplements can come with significant side effects. Always ask your doctor before starting any new supplements or medications.

    In addition to supplements, several studies show certain medications may reduce triglycerides. Recommendations to take medications focus on reducing the risk of pancreatitis as well as heart disease.

    The evidence to support the idea that lowering triglycerides with medications can provide cardiac protection is mixed. Many isolated studies show no benefits, but a meta-analysis of multiple studies suggests minor benefits.42

    Ask your doctor if any of these medications may be right for you:

    Statins The most commonly prescribed class of cholesterol-lowering drugs has a mild triglyceride-lowering effect ranging from 10% reduction at low doses to 30% at higher doses.43

    Fibrates Drugs such as gemfibrozil can lower triglycerides by 30-50%.44 These drugs should be used with caution when taken along with statins or warfarin due to drug interactions. Those with a history of gallstone disease should not take fibrates.

    Although fibrates do lower triglycerides, it is not clear that they reduce cardiac events or the risk of death.

    Prescription niacin Niacin can reduce triglycerides by up to 30%.45 Niacin may cause liver disease, and may worsen insulin resistance or blood sugar control in those with type 2 diabetes. Those with peptic ulcer disease should not take niacin.

    Which Is Better The Low

    High Triglyceride Diet : Complete Guide on How You Can Lower Your ...

    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.

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    Weight Loss And Triglyceride Levels

    Weight loss is an important tool to get to a healthy triglyceride level. Because triglycerides are essentially fat stores, reducing the total amount of fat in the body will result in a lower triglyceride level in blood tests.

    Even modest weight loss of 5% to 10% of total body weight helps to lower your triglyceride level. This means that going from a body weight of 300 lb to between 270 lb and 285 lb makes a big difference and lowers your risk of heart disease, stroke, and pancreatitis.

    How Quickly Can I Lower My Cholesterol

    Your cholesterol levels may lower as quickly as a few weeks to a few months, depending on your treatment plan.

    If your levels are very high, your healthcare provider may recommend taking medications at the start of your treatment plan. This may help lower your cholesterol levels more quickly. The sooner you can lower your bad cholesterol levels, the sooner you can lower your risk for plaques to form.

    You can also lower your cholesterol through lifestyle and diet changes alone, but it may take three to six months to see results. Talk with your healthcare provider to figure out the best treatment plan for you.

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    Why Is It Important To Lower Cholesterol Levels

    As it was said, high bad cholesterol levels may lead to heart attacks and strokes. And thats the most important reason to lower cholesterol levels of all. When its level becomes too high, it starts to stock up in your body, forming lesions, particularly in blood vascular system, and it gets harder for the blood to get to your heart and back. Which mean, you become oxygen deficient and your tissues and organs dont get enough blood. And when these lesions split, they can form clots, which causes thromboembolic disease, heart attacks, and strokes and can lead to a fatal outcome.

    What Kind Of Medications Treat High Triglycerides

    How to Raise Your HDL & Lower Your Triglycerides (NOT what you Think)

    If your triglyceride levels are very high, you may need medication.

    Niacin supplements also known as vitamin B3 can help reduce blood triglyceride levels. You can get niacin naturally from meats, avocados, and peanuts among many other foods. Supplements work well, too, if youre worried you may not be getting enough through your diet alone.

    For those who dont like to eat fish, packaged omega-3 fatty acids, and even cod liver oil, can come in a capsule and help you get some of the same benefits. Vascepa is an FDA-approved prescription-strength omega-3 fatty acid that you can take if you are 45 or older and have diabetes or cardiovascular disease. It has been shown to reduce triglyceride levels and the risk of heart attack or stroke when exercise, diet, and other medications arent enough.

    One of the main types of medication prescribed to treat high triglycerides are called fibrates, including fenofibrate. These medications slow down production of triglycerides and help remove triglycerides from the bloodstream.

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    Limit Sugar Refined Carbohydrates And Too Much Alcohol

    Do you have to eat a keto diet to lower triglycerides? Not necessarily. Reducing sugars, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol may be enough to lower your levels.

    As we mentioned, any caloric excess can increase triglycerides. However, the most likely sources of extra calories are excess sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol.19

    One reason carbs and sugars commonly increase triglycerides may be that carbs and sugars are two of the most commonly overconsumed foods. However, another reason could be that fructose and alcohol are more likely to cause fatty liver, which can raise triglycerides.20

    One study reports that simply replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with water reduced triglycerides.21

    And another reports that decreasing alcohol consumption lowered fasting triglycerides.22

    Other factors, such as baseline obesity and insulin resistance, may make it more likely that eating carbs would cause an individuals triglycerides to rise.23

    If youre overweight or have insulin resistance, the evidence shows its important to reduce carbs. However, the data suggests that most people with high triglycerides even people with normal weight would benefit from reducing sugar, refined carbs, and alcohol.

    How Are Triglycerides Connected To Cholesterol

    Cholesterol is another type of fatty substance. It has many uses in your body, including producing hormones, building cells and helping you digest food.

    There are good and bad types of cholesterol. ‘Bad’ cholesterol is known as low-density lipoprotein or LDL. It can stick to the sides of your blood vessels and block them. ‘Good’ cholesterol is known as high-density lipoprotein or HDL. It transports the bad cholesterol away from your blood vessels to your liver, which gets rid of it.

    If you have a high level of triglycerides together with a high LDL level or a low HDL level, you have a higher risk of fat building up and blocking your blood vessels. This increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.

    Recommended Reading: How Does Cholesterol Build Up

    What Other Lifestyle Changes Help Lower Triglycerides

    Lifestyle strategies are a way to lower triglycerides naturally.

    Weight loss has a positive effect on triglycerides. For every 5% to 10% weight reduction, triglycerides may be lowered by 20%. Another way to look at this: For every kilogram lost, triglycerides may be reduced by 2%.

    Increasing physical activity lowers triglycerides.

    • Aerobic activity of any kind, especially when done after a meal, uses up triglycerides that are in the blood ready to be used as fuel. This not only lowers triglycerides but also helps with abdominal obesity.
    • Exercise is most effective for lowering triglycerides when they are very elevated. If triglycerides are optimal , exercise will not further lower the level.

    All together, intensive lifestyle strategies can reduce triglycerides by 50% or more over a year. Lifestyle strategies can enable people to effectively reduce triglycerides without medicine or drugs, plus there are many other positive effects on other aspects of health and well-being. This is the recommended approach of the American Heart Association for anyone with triglycerides greater than optimal .

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