High triglycerides is a term often used by medical professionals. While many people know the dangers of high cholesterol and understand the difference between HDL and LDL, the meaning of high triglycerides is something of a mystery.
Let's start with a basic definition of triglycerides. Triglycerides are essentially a chemical form of fat found in foods and in the human body. They are an important source of energy and the most common form of fat in your system. If your body does not burn all the calories that come from foods we eat, calories are converted into triglycerides and stored in fat cells. These fat cells are then burned as energy between meals.
The problem occurs when the body stores more triglycerides than it uses. This causes fat levels to start rising. Eventually, you have a lot of triglycerides built up. This condition is known as having high triglycerides.
Elevated triglyceride levels contribute to some very unhealthy conditions. You are more likely to have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and too much fat around the waist. As you're probably aware, all of these increase your risk of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Triglycerides are measured by a blood test. Under 150 is considered to be in the healthy range. But if your levels are more than 200, you are considered to have elevated triglyceride levels, and your doctor will want you to start working to bring them down.
Sometimes high cholesterol and high triglycerides are the result of genetic factors. But there are many other reasons you can have abnormal triglyceride levels too.
Thyroid problems can be a major cause. Individuals who have hypothyroidism (also known as under active or low thyroid) are prone to having high triglyceride levels. Kidney disease and poorly controlled diabetes are other common reasons for elevated triglycerides.
Poor nutritional habits and overeating are an obvious reason for high levels. High triglyceride levels are almost always present in those who are obese. This is also true of those who drink a lot of alcohol.
Finally, there are certain medications that are known to contribute to high triglycerides. These include beta-blockers, oral contraceptives, diuretics, estrogen, steroids and Tamoxifen.
When you have high triglycerides, you generally don't know it unless you have tests done. There are usually no prominent symptoms. However, people with high triglycerides often suffer from pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreas. Pancreatitis may cause sudden, severe abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and fever.
What can you do about elevated triglycerides if your doctor tells you that you have them? Lifestyle changes are the first step. The formula is simple, but not always easy to execute: get more exercise and eat a happinesslifetime.com low cholesterol diet containing cholesterol-free food. If you are obese or overweight, you'll need to shed some pounds by limiting fat, sugar and alcohol.
If lifestyle changes don't work, your doctor may decide to prescribe certain medications. There are a number of cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins that may help. Drugs called nicotinic acid, commonly known as niacin, and fibrates have shown very promising results in research. Your doctor may suggest a combination of options if high triglycerides continue to be a problem.
To access more articles on topics related to triglycerides and cholesterol, click on cholesterol-health.org/high-triglycerides.html high triglycerides or cholesterol-health.org cholesterol health.
Neal Kennedy is a former TV news anchor and radio talk show host with a special interest in health and medical subjects.
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