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Why Are My Triglycerides So High

Key Causes Of High Triglycerides Levels

Dr. Stephen Phinney: Is it possible to have a high A1c and low triglycerides?
  • Being overweight
  • Genetic predisposition
  • Some medications

Dietary factors were estimated to be associated with a substantial proportion of deaths from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These results should help identify priorities, guide public health planning, and inform strategies to alter dietary habits and improve health.

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What Are Normal Triglyceride Levels

Normal fasting blood triglyceride levels are:

  • Lower than 150 mg/dL for adults
  • Lower than 90 mg/dL for children ages 10 to 19

Your doctor may diagnose you with high blood triglycerides if your fasting blood triglyceride levels are consistently 150 milligrams per deciliter or higher.

Talk to your doctor about what your numbers mean for you.

Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors

High triglyceride levels are associated with a collection of disorders known as metabolic syndrome. A person with metabolic syndrome has an increased risk of developing diabetes, stroke or heart disease.A person is classed as having metabolic syndrome when they have any three of the following factors:

  • Central obesity excess fat in and around the stomach
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood triglycerides.

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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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What To Eat Instead

Diet To Lower Triglycerides

The ideal diet for better triglyceride levels is one that includes a variety of nutrient-rich foods from all the food groups. This means a diet filled with not only whole grains but also fresh fruit, vegetables, lean sources of protein — such as poultry, seafood and beans — and low-fat or nonfat dairy. You need to limit the amount of saturated fat in your diet from foods such as butter and bacon and instead eat more foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as walnuts and salmon.

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Follow A Lower Carb Diet

Much like added sugar, extra calories from carbs in your diet are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells.

Not surprisingly, low carb diets have been linked to lower blood triglyceride levels .

A review of 12 randomized controlled trials found that people following reduced carb diets typically saw a reduction in triglyceride levels at 6, 12, and 24 months. Across these studies, triglyceride levels decreased the most 6 months after starting a reduced calorie diet .

A 2020 review compared low fat and low carb diets. Researchers found that 612 months after starting their relative diets, those on the low carb diet had greater decreases in triglyceride levels than those on a low fat diet .

Summary

Following a low carb diet can lead to a significant reduction in blood triglyceride levels, at least in the short term, when compared with a low fat diet.

Do High Tg Levels Affect Hdl And Ldl Cholesterol Levels

The image below shows how LDLs and HDLs transport TG. It is from the National Lipid Associations website, used with permission from Tom Dayspring .

Here, an enzyme called CETP facilitates the exchange of cholesterol in large HDL and large LDL with TG. What CETP does is it takes cholesterol out of large HDL and LDL particles and then transfers TG into these particles. In turn, hepatic lipase metabolizes TG-rich HDLs and LDLs, leading to smaller HDLs and LDLs.

In a nutshell, high TG levels affect HDL and LDL levels. And prediabetes leads to high TG levels.

Look at the image below showing what a lipid profile would look like in a patient with prediabetes.

  • The patient has elevated TG levels , a low HDL cholesterol level , and a high LDL cholesterol level .
  • There was a decrease in the size of HDLs. Normally, the HDL curve should be a smooth bell curve peaking where the red circle is drawn. Here, the large HDLs are taken out.
  • There was also a decrease in the size of LDLs. Though the LDL has a good bell curve at the right, the curves peak shifted to the left. This means there are more smaller and denser LDLs.
  • Aside from prediabetes, this patient actually has another problemfamilial hypercholesterolemia . Neither condition was noticed before the patient came to us.

    To make matters worse, the patient also has an elevated TG/HDL216/34 or 6.4! I recommend a goal of 1.5 or less.

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    Dangers Of Low Triglycerides

    Low triglyceride levels are generally not dangerous. In fact, research supports the idea that low triglyceride levels can offer certain health benefits.

    In one 2014 study, researchers found that lower non-fasting triglyceride levels were associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality in almost 14,000 study participants.

    Another smaller 2017 study found that low triglyceride levels were linked to improved brain function in older adults without dementia.

    However, incredibly low triglyceride levels may be linked to other conditions, as mentioned above. Some of these conditions in and of themselves may be dangerous, so it becomes important to treat the underlying condition thats causing low triglycerides.

    Lowering Triglycerides Without Medication

    Simple Explanation of Triglycerides and How to Reduce Them

    Unless your triglycerides are extremely high, lifestyle changes are the best place to start. These simple steps can significantly lower triglyceride levels.

    • Beware of bad fats. Cutting back on saturated fat and trans fats can lower triglycerides.
    • Go for good carbs. Easily digested carbohydrates give triglycerides a definite boost. Eating whole grains and cutting back on soda can help control triglycerides.
    • Check your alcohol use. In some people, alcohol dramatically boosts triglycerides. The only way to know if this is true for you is to avoid alcohol for a few weeks and have your triglycerides tested again.
    • Go fish. Omega-3 fats in salmon, tuna, sardines, and other fatty fish can lower triglycerides. Having fish twice a week is fine.
    • Aim for a healthy weight. If you are overweight, losing just 5% to 10% of your weight can help drive down triglycerides.
    • Get moving. Exercise lowers triglycerides and boosts heart-healthy HDL cholesterol.
    • Stop smoking. It isnt good for triglyceride levels or for anything else.

    About the Author

    Gregory Curfman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Former Editor-in-Chief, Harvard Health Publishing

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    How Can You Lower Your High Triglycerides

    You can make diet and lifestyle changes to help lower your levels.

    • Lose weight and stay at a healthy weight.
    • Limit fats and sugars in your diet.
    • Be more active.

    You also may need medicine to help lower your triglycerides. But your doctor likely will ask you to try diet and lifestyle changes first.

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    How High Triglycerides Affect Total Cholesterol

    Dr. McNeal said you should use caution when interpreting results of your lipid profile, as high triglycerides can affect your total cholesterol count.

    Your LDL equals your total cholesterol minus your HDL minus your triglycerides, divided by five, she said.

    That means when your triglyceride level is really high, youll have a higher total cholesterol level as well. But at the same time, if you bring your triglyceride levels down, it will have an immediate impact on your total cholesteroland that doesnt necessarily require medication.

    When your total cholesterol is high because your triglycerides are high, using cholesterol-lowering medications isnt going to help any, she said. Its more effective to lower the triglycerides using lifestyle changes.

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    What Kind Of Medications Treat High Triglycerides

    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.

    Start Taking A Statin Medication

    Pin on Cholesterol

    For most people who have moderate to high risk for heart attacks and strokes, the best thing that we can do to both impact their cholesterol levels and impact their overall risk for stroke and heart attack is start a statin medication, said Dr. Kirley. A statin medication changes the way cholesterol is metabolized in your body so that you ultimately have lower levels of cholesterol circulating in your bloodstream, particularly that LDL cholesterol that we worry about.

    We often hear a lot of fear around taking statin medications, she said. Perhaps the biggest misconceptions I see are that these medications are not safe or that they cause other diseases.

    Statin medications are among the most studied medications that we use in medicine. They have a wonderful safety profile and great evidence for effectiveness, Dr. Kirley added.

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    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 The Test Is Performed

    Triglycerides are usually measured together with other blood fats. Often it is done to help determine your risk of developing heart disease. A high triglyceride level may lead to atherosclerosis, which increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.

    A very high triglyceride level may also cause swelling of your pancreas .

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    Risks Related To High Triglycerides

    High Triglycerides: Is Your Medicine Causing It?? (11 Culprits)

    The problems associated with high triglycerides are linked to two major risk factors. Firstly, we have the genetic causes, known as primary hypertriglyceridemias and finally we have the environmental causes or secondary hypertriglyceridemias.

    In the case of genetic causes or genetic risk of high triglycerides, we find some genes that are responsible for the increase of triglycerides in the blood. This implies an alteration in the genes that should naturally generate proteins that destroy triglycerides. That is to say, when alterations occur, our body does not eliminate the excess triglycerides in the blood and this is why it is very high.

    In these cases, the diagnosis is made at an early age, especially in children who have developed inflammation in the pancreas or pancreatitis. In some cases there are very noticeable elevations of triglycerides. These can be as high as 5,000 to 10,000 mg/dL. In these cases, the diagnosis is hyperchylomicronemia syndrome. However, genetic causes alone can usually cause only slight evaluations. Only if they are related to environmental causes, these major alterations are generated.

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    What Causes High Triglyceride Levels

    • Being overweight.
    • Lack of physical activity.
    • Excessive alcohol use alcohol is high in calories and sugar. Even small amounts of alcohol can raise triglyceride levels.
    • A very high carbohydrate diet.
    • Certain diseases and medicines.
    • People with very high triglycerides often have a genetic disorder which prevents them from moving triglycerides out of their blood.
    • Smoking increases your risk of heart disease and stroke by increasing clotting factors in the blood, decreasing HDL cholesterol levels, increasing triglyceride levels, and damaging the lining of blood vessels.

    Why Is High Cholesterol A Problem

    Too much cholesterol in the bloodstream can harden arteries and promote fatty deposits within these arteries, potentially leading to dangerous blockages and narrowing over time called atherosclerosis.

    If the blood vessels leading to your heart become too clogged, blood supply to your heart is reduced, which can lead to symptoms such as angina . If the artery becomes completely blocked, it can lead to a heart attack and stroke, which can be life threatening.

    In 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported 43, 477 deaths in Australia from heart disease. This is approximately 30 per cent of all deaths in Australia, and most deaths are occurring in those aged 65 years and over.

    However, heart disease takes years to develop, so you can take steps to reduce your risk.If you discover you have high cholesterol, have family members with high cholesterol, or are not sure if youre at risk, it is advisable you seek your doctors advice.

    Other risk factors for heart disease include increased age, ethnicity, family history, inactivity, smoking, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and obesity.If these risk factors are present in your life, its even more important to keep your blood cholesterol levels in check and seek your doctors advice.

    can help you begin to assess your risk, but we strongly advise you discuss your risk with your GP as this tool does have limitations it doesnt take your family history into account, for example.

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    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

    How Can You Naturally Lower Tg And Increase Hdl Levels

    My LDL Cholesterol is High, But I

    The most effective ways to improve your TG/HDL are:

    • Lose weight. Body fat used to be considered as an inert energy storage tissue. Now we know it is an endocrine tissue that releases chemicals that cause insulin resistance, prediabetes, and CV risk .
    • Eat fewer carbs. Get into a lower carbohydrate diet .
    • Exercise. Exercise increases HDL levels and lowers TG levels .
    • Take niacin. It is one of the few supplements that lowers TG , increases HDL cholesterol levels , and lowers LDL cholesterol levels .
    • Get dietary and supplemental omega-3s .

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    Sedentary Lifestyle Or Lack Of Exercise

    The amount of exercise you get can have an effect on your triglyceride levels. If you lead an inactive lifestyle, youâre more likely to accumulate extra calories, which your body will quickly transform into triglycerides for later use.

    However, if you arenât staying active enough to use those triglycerides, theyâll hang around in your system.

    Controlling High Triglycerides: Medical Treatment

    People with heart disease and high triglycerides may need medication to bring down their levels.

    • Fibrates can lower triglycerides. They modestly improve cholesterol levels, too.
    • Fish oilwith omega-3 fatty acids can help keep triglycerides under control. Ask your doctor whether you should use prescription fish oil. Omega-3 acids from plant sources like flaxseed may help.
    • Niacin can lower triglycerides by up to 50%. It’s available as a non-prescription supplement and as a prescription drug.

    Remember that to stay healthy and keep your triglycerides down, you still have to focus on improving your lifestyle.

    When you talk to your doctor, discuss all of the medicines, supplements, and vitamins you take. Some common drugs — like beta-blockers, birth control pills, and diuretics — can cause high triglycerides as a side effect. It’s possible that one of them could be causing your problem.

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